Those Gray Eyes
by VRayz
Summary: Tris's aptitude test shows that she belongs in Erudite. But during the Choosing Ceremony, panic and a certain pair of eyes distract her, and her choices are confused with desire. She thinks that her choices wouldn't affect anyone, but she is wrong. This world is crazy, mad, wonderful, true love comes from the most unexpected ones. Rated K. Rating may change. Chapter 17 is up!
1. Chapter 1

"Erudite!"

Tris watched as Caleb walked towards the Erudites. How could her brother, such an Abnegation, choose _Erudite_?

The Erudites wore smug faces and nudged each other, and the Abnegation, normally so placid, spoke to one another in tense whispers as Marcus Eaton beckoned the crowd to quiet down. It took a few attempts, but the room eventually went silent and the Choosing Ceremony continued.

Tris heard her name being called, and with a shudder, she walked towards the bowls. Halfway to the bowls, she was so sure that she will choose Abnegation. If Caleb wasn't fit for Abnegation, how could she possibly be? But in her heart she knows that she will be the one; she will be the child who stays.

This was for her parents.

Marcus handed her the knife, and she looked into his dark blue eyes. She turned to the bowls, with the Dauntless fire and Abnegation stones both on her left. She glanced back at her parents, and her eyes met watery gray ones belonging to Jeanine Matthews. At that very moment, a thought rushed into her mind: What if she followed her aptitude test results? What if she chose Erudite as well?

_Don't be silly_, she thought.

Distracting her thoughts as she cut open her hand, Tris held both her hands to her chest and closed her eyes. For a second she let herself imagine what it would be like to have chosen Erudite. Then, with a gasp, her eyes snapped open and she thrust her arm out: drops of blood dripped onto the carpet, her hand shifted, and a single drop of blood drop into the bowl of water without her noticing.

Before Marcus or anybody could yell "Erudite!", Tris drags her bleeding hand to the top of the coals, and let her blood sizzle on them.

The crowd is quiet. On the stage, Marcus coughed, and the words come out slowly: "According to Section 3 Line 94 of the Rules of Faction Sorting, 6th edition, the 16-year-old's choice of faction is determined by whichever bowl their blood first drips into. Therefore, Beatrice Prior's chosen faction is Erudite."

Erudite. _Erudite. I've chosen Erudite over Dauntless and the other factions, and it's all because of Caleb._

Her world is spinning around her as she walked to the Erudites. A small voice inside of her squeaked: _It's because of those gray eyes. Not Caleb. It's those gray eyes. _But Tris doesn't hear anything. Not the name of the next 16-year-old, not the whispers of the crowd, and definitely not that small voice telling her that it was Jeanine Matthews, her new faction leader, who made her chose Erudite.

She was almost standing beside her brother when she felt a gaze on her. Turning around, she caught herself staring into those gray eyes once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: To those sweeties who encouraged me to write this fic: thank you so much! This chapter is slightly longer than the previous one, but it's still short. So sorry about that. And believe me when I say that exams are to blame in this matter.**

(No, this chapter doesn't contain sexual tension unless you count the last bit.)

* * *

"Beatrice?" Caleb stepped out to stand beside his sister. She hurriedly looked away from those gray eyes belonging to her new faction leader to face what her brother had to say about her newly-made choice.

"Beatrice?" He repeated as he pulled her into the seat beside him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine." She blinked.

"You chose Erudite." He said it calmly, but she knew that it was said as a question, not a statement. "I thought you were going to remain in our old faction."

She stared into his eyes, wondering if she should tell him that the reason she chose what she had chosen was a minute one, a reason that should not even be counted as a reason.

"I've been… thinking a lot…" _This is why I'm not cut out for Candor._

"Yeah, sure, as if that's the reason." He chuckled humorously. This part of him – teasing – has never been shown nor seen before. Not when they were in Abnegation. Sixteen years of living with him and Beatrice never knew that there was this side to her brother.

As they await the last of the teenagers to join a faction, Beatrice convinced herself to search for her parents, no matter how betrayed they felt, no matter what silent anger they hide within their hearts. Her eyes searched the crowd of gray clothes, but failed to find her parents. Beside her, Caleb looked as though he felt a bit disappointed as well.

At last, the girl at the bottom of the list made her choice – Amity – and Marcus dismisses the crowd. The Dauntless exit through the stairs excitedly, with the Abnegation trailing behind as the elevators are filled with Candor and Amity families. The Erudite, however, do not use the stairs nor do they use the elevator.

It was quite a surprise for Beatrice when she realized that her new fellow faction members were exiting the Choosing Ceremony through a door at one side of the hall. The color of the door is almost the same as the color of the wall, a bit lighter, but barely visible to those who do not search for it purposely.

The Erudites enter the door and find themselves in a room with several empty elevators.

Beatrice raised an eyebrow at her brother, he shrugs, and they walk into one of the elevators. As she stepped in, she turned her head slightly to one side, and could've sworn that a certain woman with blond hair was looking back at her.

* * *

The elevator brought them to a room exactly like the previous one, they walked out the door and find themselves at the ground floor of the building. A tall and tanned Erudite man dressed in a formal suit beckoned all the initiates to follow him, and as she does so, Beatrice suddenly realized that she was in a faction filled with geniuses. A look from Caleb tells her that he was thinking the same thing.

"There are six of us transfers." He murmured.

Beatrice gave him a look and they followed the Erudite man through the crowd. As soon as they stand directly behind him with all the other initiates, she could see the man talking to her – Jeanine Matthews.

She doesn't know why, and she doesn't_ want _ to know why, that she felt faint at the sight of Jeanine Matthews.

Perhaps it was the way she walked, or the way her posture was just right, or perhaps it was the most obvious gesture: the way she turned around and looked at her with those damned gray eyes.

* * *

**A/N: How was it? I hope I'm not making too big a deal about Jeanine's eyes (alright, to be honest, I really love gray eyes - if I were borned with gray eyes, I would bring a mirror with me everywhere just so I can drown in my own eyes).**

**And no, this fic does not have a stable plot. So I'd probably throw in every- and anything you suggest.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:  
Hello, dears! I want to thank each and every one of you who spent your precious time on my fic. (And yes, chapter 2 only came up yesterday, but hey, passion took over me.)**

**So here you go, chapter 3!**

* * *

Somehow, she ended up in a bus heading towards the Erudite compound. Caleb sat beside his sister, a frown on his face as he watched Beatrice looking out the window.

"I think you made the wrong choice." He said as quietly as possible, not wanting the other initiates to hear them, even though the Erudite-borns looked very absorbed in their reading and the other transfers were drowning in their state of nervousness.

Beatrice turned to look at him. Tilting her head to one side, she replied, "Maybe I did, but I won't be able to change anything now, would I?" She gave him a weak smile.

The frown on Caleb's face deepened.

"You wanted to choose Dauntless. I saw. We all saw. Why?"

Just as she was deciding what kind of a lie she will have to make up, the bus screeched to a stop. The Erudite-borns get up and out with the transfers trailing behind them.

They walk into an enormous building, which Beatrice decided was the Erudite headquarters. They enter a library. Across the room was a portrait of Jeanine Matthews, and under it was a plaque that read _Knowledge Leads to Prosperity_.

It was understandable that they were all staring at the portrait – Erudite's sole representative was quite the beauty, with her blond hair and perfect features and _watery gray eyes that were too mesmerizing for this world _\- but Beatrice felt that it was wrong. So she quickly looked away and scanned the crowd of initiates instead. She found that Caleb was right. There were seven Erudite-borns and six transfers: 2 Candors, one of each gender, an Amity girl, and a Dauntless boy with a tattoo of a lightning bolt on his collarbone. And then there's them. The two Abnegation siblings who looked awed at the sight of everything in the building.

The tall and tanned Erudite man from before coughed to gain their attention. The 16-year-olds turned to look at him, and he introduced himself: "My name is Alfred Walker and I will be monitoring the initiation progress of the transfer initiates in the morning, and that of the Erudite-born initiates in the evening. Ms Matthews," at here, Alfred nodded at Jeanine, who returned the gesture, "in contrast, will be monitoring the Erudite-born initiates in the morning, and the transfer initiates in the evening. Morning sessions are from 8 o'clock in the morning to 12 noon whereas evening sessions start at 2 o'clock and ends at 6 in the evening. The two-hour break in between the two sessions will require you to take your lunch and, of course, study."

Alfred paused to let the initiates take it in, and continued: "Classes with Ms Matthews will be held at Classroom 5B, and classes with me will be at Classroom 5C. They are both on the fifth floor of this building. Please note that your dormitories will be seperated: Erudite-borns in the first room on the left down that lane," he pointed at one of the lanes on his right, "and transfers in the third room on the right, also down that lane."

When he finished, he exchanges a few words with Jeanine Matthews, and initiates start to murmur amongst them.

Alfred claps his hand together, the initiates quiet down and he said, "During the two weeks of initiation, there will be two stages you have to pass to be an official Erudite member. Stage one starts tomorrow, where, for the rest of the week, you will attend your classes with Ms Matthews and I respectively. At the end of the week, there will a final exam to test your IQ score. The second stage starts next week. Stage two will be divided into two parts: the first is to test your logical reasoning skills, the second is to test the sharpness of your mind, which, is simply your observing skills."

"That is all for now. You may spend the rest of the day in your respective dormitory or the study hall. Dismissed."

Beatrice followed her fellow initiates to their dormitory.

Walking down the lane, she looked at her brother and said, "I want to change my name."

Nobody seemed to notice what she had just said, but Caleb had a stunned expression on his face. "What's wrong with Beatrice?"

"I just want a new identity," she shrugged as one of the transfers opened the door to their dormitory.

Caleb narrowed his eyes slightly. "And what will this new name be?"

"Tris," she stated simply, stepping into the place they were going to be living in for the next fortnight.

Caleb was about to say something, but as he stood at the door, glancing into the room with windows as walls, his mouth hanged open, but no words came out. The view outside the glass walls were breath-taking; a pond with several species of trees circling it, buildings such as the school, main offices, and other faction compounds looked brilliant, their city was much more beautiful than they thought.

All six of them stared at the view for some time, until one of them – the girl in a yellow dress coughed, and suggested they introduce themselves.

"My name is Emily, and my previous faction is Amity, as you can see," she said with a bright smile on her face as she gestured the two Candors that it was their turn.

The Candor boy stepped forward and introduced himself as August, and the Candor girl as Sophie, his twin sister.

It was only then that Tris noticed that they, even as twins, did not have much resemblance.

The introducing continued with the Dauntless boy of the name Ray. Tris and Caleb were last, and, surprisingly, Caleb introduced her as _Tris_, and not her given name.

They each find their own bed, some were white in color, some sky blue. A small bedside table stood beside each of the beds. A bundle of Erudite-blue clothes were on the bedside table, and Tris pilled them neatly into one of the two drawers. The other drawer was empty except for some toiletries and a sheet of paper with the faction's manifesto printed on it.

"We should probably change into these," Caleb said, holding a pair blue trousers and shirt in his hands.

They all head to the bathroom at the end of the room when the Dauntless boy – Ray – muttered, "Thank Lord they have separate bathrooms here."

The others glanced at Ray's direction, some with amused expressions, others with confused ones.

"In Dauntless, our bathrooms are joined. There aren't any doors as well, you know. At least that's what my older brother said" he explained.

The transfers were shocked; Tris caught a blush on Sophie's pale face.

* * *

It was half past two by the time the initiates, both transfers and Erudite-borns, finished changing and gathered at the canteen block for lunch.

The luncheon served at the Erudite compound was, as Tris had learned from Emily, buffet-styled. Tris had never seen so many different kinds of food all in one place at the same time, ready for her to eat. The Abnegation weren't fussy with their food. Well, in all honesty, they were raised to not fuss about their food. But all the same. Caleb looked just as interested in the food rather than taming his hunger.

"So, Stiff, never seen a steak in your life, huh?" Sophie, the Candor girl smirked.

Her brother, August, stood behind her and frowned. "Sophie," he warned.

"What? I'm just saying. See, the Stiff isn't even defending her faction."

Just as Caleb decided to speak a few words for his sister and himself, Tris took a step forward and stood closer to Sophie, "Abnegation isn't out faction anymore. We're in Erudite now. And I would really appreciate it if you acknowledge that," said she.

Sophie glared at Tris, about to say something when her brother kicked her under the table, giving her a warning.

A scowl emerged from Sophie. "You know, _big brother_," her words dripped with sarcasm and anger, "If you really miss _her _that much, maybe you should go back to Candor!" With that, she left the table, leaving August red with embarrassment and Tris upset.

The Erudite-borns from the table next to them glanced over only to see August roll his food around his plate quietly.

"Care to explain?" said Ray.

August looked at his fellow initiates. Slowly, he shook his head, giving them a sad smile, he started. "Sophie and I came from Candor, as you all know. And as Candors go, our feelings are easily known by people around us. Before the Choosing Ceremony, our neighbour was this girl called Agatha. She's the same age as us. When I realised that she, the girl I had a huge crush on, decided to stay, I was so sure that I'm going to stay in Candor, no matter how hard it is for me sometimes. But the moment Sohpie chose Erudite, I realised that, I value my family more than my love, or my faction."

"Sophie wasn't exactly cool with you joining her in Erudite then?" Ray interupted.

"I don't know, to be honest."

Emily, who sat silently all this time, finally spoke, "Perhaps she mistaken you? Perhaps, she thought that you joined Erudite because you wanted to look after her, and she was mad at you?"

All eyes fall on her.

"Perhaps," August sighed, "Do you think I should go talk to her?"

"Of course you should," said Tris, smiling slightly.

As the boy stood up to leave, Tris heard her brother telling the remaining transfers that 'he was glad to have Tris as a sister, because he knows that she wouldn't be mad at him for falling in love'.

Tris supposed that he was right. Sure, she wouldn't be angry at him for having a crush on, say, Emily. Or any other girl, really. But she wasn't so sure if _he _was the one who found out that their sibling is developing a crush.

A crush no one knew would turn their world upside down and inside out.

* * *

In her office, standing by the glass wall watching the initiates have luncheon, was Jeanine Matthews.

The foolish girl insulted Beatrice Prior.

Jeanine couldn't hear their conversation, but she was always good at lip-reading.

After the Sader twins left, the canteen block was quiet once more. She had the urge to walk there and 'get a scone', but that was too obvious, especially for a faction leader.

She sat back at her desk, looking over the notes she prepared for tomorrow's classes, but her usually focused mind couldn't help but replay the scene at the Choosing Ceremony earlier that day.

The way Beatrice acted during and after the whole ceremony was very distracting.

The way she moved her hand after dripping her blood in the Erudite bowl. The way she looked lost when Marcus announced that she belongs in Erudite. The way she dragged her feet to stand beside her brother. The way she met her eyes. And the way she looked drowned at the sight her.

* * *

**A/N:  
I've got a question for you guys: Do you want the war to happen?  
I'm asking because while I like self-torturing by killing off characters I love, I also enjoy giving them happy endings they deserve.**

**Thank you for reading, and remember that any suggestions for the plot is welcomed (including those sweet little moments).**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

**Chapter 4 is here, lovelies! :D  
****I love you guys; each every one of you, even those who are too shy to give their opinion. And I want to thank you all for making my life happier.**

**So without further ado, I present to you Chapter 4. :)**

**(Happy birthday, Caramel xD)**

* * *

The canteen block was full of Erudites having their breakfast at every table. The adults read the daily paper as they ate, the schoolchildren stuffed themselves with foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins as they wait for their parents to drive them to school, and in the middle of all that were the 13 initiates.

It was a quarter past seven when Tris and Caleb made their way to the canteen block. Nearly all the tables were packed, and Tris was glad that Emily and the twins saved them seats. They piled toast, eggs, and bacon on their tray and sat at the table.

Emily and August were laughing at something an Erudite-born initiate said. Sophie sat beside her brother. She didn't engage herself in the conversation, but her mood was better than yesterday, as she immediately greeted them good morning.

"Hello," the boy who was just talking with Emily and August said, "Tris and Caleb, right? From Abnegation?"

He had a friendly smile plastered on his face, and Tris at once took a liking to him.

Caleb nodded a yes, and the boy introduced himself: "The name's Joshua. Isn't there supposed to be another guy called Ray?"

"The lazy pig," Sophie snickered, "I'll bet you my bacon that he's still fast asleep in his bed."

They all laughed, and for the first time since the Choosing Ceremony, Tris didn't feel nervous. She felt like an ordinary teenager – laughing with her friends was something she never got to do in Abnegation. Hell, she didn't even _have _friends.

"So, who is this pig and why are you talking about bacon in front of it?" A voice – Ray's – asked from behind Sophie. He had two slices of jammed toast in one of his hands, and in the other, a glass of juice with an apple balanced on top.

"See? He admits that he's a pig," Sophie said, and the gang dissolved into fits of laughter and giggles.

"I get your bacon, then?" Ray chuckled good-humouredly.

Sophie slapped his arm lightly and he said, "But really, shouldn't we be heading to Classroom 5C?" he said, glancing at a clock on the wall.

The clock showed that it was a quarter to eight, which meant that they have only fifteen minutes to get to class. "He's right," Joshua said as he got up, "I should go too. Wouldn't want Ms Matthews to kill me with whatever weapon she has up her sleeve."

Tris watched as a chuckling Joshua headed to the elevators with some of his friends.

"Who was that?" Ray asked as he finished the last of his toast.

Someone answered him, but Tris was too lost in her own mind to notice. The thought of Jeanine Matthews killing people with unknown weapons made her feel excitied for reasons she didn't want to know, even though Joshua meant it as a joke.

* * *

It turns out that both Classrooms 5C and 5B had walls made of glass. So when Tris followed her brother and new-made friends to their classroom, she could see Joshua and his fellow Erudite-born initiates in their classroom as she passed by. Fortunately, a certain woman wasn't there to distract her from reality.

Classroom 5C was an exact replica of Classroom 5B. The wall to the corridor was made of glass, and the other three were painted the same shade of Alice blue. There were computers arranged in two rows of five for the initiates, and another one at the front of the room where Alfred stood. A stack of books were at the table nearest to Alfred, and as they entered the room, he said, "Each of you take one of these books and have a seat."

Tris collected her book and flipped through the pages. It was about computer programs.

"Now then, please put your books down for a second and pay attention to what I am about to say," said Alfred when they were all seated, "As you can see on your computer screen, each computer requires you to enter your username and password. Your username will be your full name, and your password is the combination of your hair color, eye color, and former faction in order. For instance, if you are a brunette and a former Dauntless with green eyes, your password shall be 'browngreendauntless'."

"Passwords can be changed once you log in. I strongly suggest you do that." Alfred gave them a few minutes to do as he said before resuming:

"Now, click on file one, and you will find five assignments for you to complete. You may use the book I have given you to help with your answering. When you are done with one of them, click on the small red button at the bottom right of your screen to submit your work and continue with the next one. You may start now. "

As soon as the words left his lips, the room was silent save the sound of pages being flipped and clicking noises.

The questions were harder than Tris thought it would be. Glancing sideways, she found that Caleb seemed to be having some trouble with the assignments.

An hour passed, and she just completed two of the five assignments.

The second hour came and went, and Tris heard soft footsteps outside. She glanced at the corridor through the glass and saw a red-headed girl – probably one of the Erudite-born initiates – walking from the direction of the bathroom. That's when she realised that her bladder was quite full due to the beverages she had taken during breakfast.

Raising her hand, she asked Alfred if she could go to the bathroom, but he just waved her to the door and stated that anybody who wishes to have a toilet break may go without asking for his permission. Stepping into the cool air of the corridor, Tris walked pass Classroom 5B swiftly, determined not to look at the people – any one of them – inside.

Surprisingly, she made it to the bathroom without giving into the temptation of stealing a quick glance at Jeanine Matthews.

But as she returned from the toilet, she couldn't help but feel an intense gaze on her as she passed by Classroom 5B. Convincing herself that it was probably just Joshua wanting to play a trick on her, she turned, only to see that it wasn't he who had been staring at her, it was those gray eyes again.

Tris felt her muscles tense and hands sweat. She knew she was wearing a ridiculous expression, judging by the amused look on Jeanine's face. With great effort on her part, she tore away from her gaze and entered her own classroom, feeling breathy.

For the rest of the remaining two hours, she couldn't seem to concentrate on her assignments. Her mind kept wandering back to the woman's watery eyes, which, for a moment, she thought became a bit cloudy.

Alfred announced that there was only half an hour left until morning session ends, so Tris quickly shoved all those insensible thoughts to the back of her brain, and instead focused on her remaining assignments.

* * *

Morning session ended with Alfred literally shooing them out of the classroom.

As the transfers made their way to the canteen block, Ray groaned about how all those assignments made him hungry.

"Thinking burns calories," Tris stated simply, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Caleb was about to ask his sister how in heaven's name did she learn _that_ when the Abnegation thought that reading in one's leisure time equals to self-indulgence, but Ray suggested that they should grab some books from the library and have their lunch under one of the trees. Tris looked pleased at the idea of having a picnic, so Caleb decided to not say anything about their old faction.

His sister was happy here in Erudite. She had friends. He didn't want to ruin this for her.

The six of them couldn't find Joshua in the canteen block, so they ate amongst themselves under a shady tree beside the pond.

"You know, I overheard one of the Erudite-borns saying that we have to get our initial IQ score tested out. Do you think it's going to be during today's evening session?" asked Ray.

"Are they going to rank us according to our IQ scores?" Emily questioned with a worried look on her face.

"Most probably," Tris replied to both of their questions.

"Is it true that Jeanine Matthews's IQ score is 200?"

All heads turned to look at Tris, expecting an answer from her.

"I – I don't know," she stuttered.

She felt the blood rushing up to her cheeks and ears, she was blushing. And she knew it wasn't just because she didn't have the answer to Emily's question. A part of her was absolutely sure that she was feeling attraction towards her faction leader, but another part of her doesn't want to accept the truth. She can't stand to think of the consequences if she accidentally let her feelings be known to someone – anyone at all.

The six of them fall back into calming silence, bolting down their sandwiches as they filp the pages of their books.

In Tris's hands was a book with the title 'Classical Genetics'.

"_Classical genetics is the branch of genetics based solely on visible results of reproductive acts. It is the oldest discipline in the field of genetics, going back to the experiments of Gregor Mendel who made it possible to identify the basic mechanisms of heredity. Subsequently, these mechanisms have been studied and explained at the molecular level."_

She read on and on, so focused in her reading that she didn't even heard her brother calling her.

"Tris," he placed his hand on her shoulder, "There's only ten minutes till evening session. We have to go."

Tris glanced up at him, and with a nod, they headed to the classroom. The twins, as well as Ray and Emily were waiting in the classroom when they entered.

Shortly after they had sat down, Jeanine Matthews stepped into the room. A simple prussian blue dress hugged her curves behind a cobalt blue lab coat which covered the whole of her arm and down until her waist.

She didn't know why, but the plain sight of the woman made Tris feel hot; and she hasn't even met her eyes yet.

"Today, you will have your initial IQ score tested out," said Jeanine, "There will be two hundred questions for you to answer in file two. Note that you will have to provide an explanation for your answer. An average person's IQ is between 90 and 109. From 110 to 124 is the level of the talented whereas the IQ of a gifted person is between 125 and 139. Anybody with a IQ score above 140 is considered as a genius or a near genius."

"Ms Matthews?" Ray asked, with his hand raised, "Is it true that your IQ score is two hundred?"

The other transfers gave him a look, expecting a scolding from their leader, but she only smiled and said, "Curious, aren't you? You will hear words along that line, but the truth is for me to know and for you to find out. Perhaps, the rumors you have heard is true."

"I'll take that as a yes, then," said Ray under his breath.

He said it quietly so nobody except he can hear it, but when a knowing smile formed on the lips of the woman, he knew that she somehow heard what he had said.

"You all might wish to start now. Two hundred is small on a scale of a million, but not to the remaining hours."

Tris clicked on file two and chose the only assignment there.

The questions were, apparently, about subjects they had learnt in school such as Math and Science.

The first one went as below:

_A factionless man can make one cigarette out of every 6 cigarette butts he finds. After one whole day of searching and checking public ashtrays, the beggar finds a total of 72 cigarette butts. How many cigarettes can he make and smoke from the butts he found?_

She considered it for a moment before typing in the answer:

_If thean make a whole cigarette from 6 butts then he can make 12 cigarettes from the 72 he found. Once he smokes those, he then will have another 12 butts, which gives him enough to make another 2 cigarettes. The final answer is 14._

The rest of the questions went along that fashion. Some were science-related, some math brain teasers like the first one, others, although quite rare in this case, were questions concerning definitions of certain objects in life.

Half the session was gone when Tris started her 101st question.

_State the definition of pi (__π__)._

She knew the answer. This was easy compared to the ones she had done previously. She began to type in the answer when suddenly, Tris realised that Jeanine Matthews had stopped walking along the aisle between the rows of computers and stood behind her, observing her work.

Tris dared not move her head, but evidently, her computer screen reflected the image of those gray eyes. She sat for some moments just gazing into her eyes, with affection beaming in one eye, and calculation shining out of the other.

The rest of the evening session came as a blur; Jeanine resumed her walking down the walkway, the IQ test ended, they were told that the results of their IQ test would be posted shortly after dinner.

"Tris, are you alright? You look a bit off," said Caleb as they head to the canteen block.

"I'm fine. Just tired," replied Tris, "I think I'll just go back to our room first."

Caleb's eyebrows frowned.

"Do you want me to bring you something?"

"No, it's alright. I'm not hungry."

Just as Caleb was about to give his opinion on skipping meals, Tris gave him a tight smile and switched her route to head to the dormitories.

A thought crossed her mind as she walked down the lane: Was that curiousity she had saw in those eyes just now? Curiousity that wished to be satisfied with an answer? Or perhaps more than just an answer?

* * *

**A/N:**

**How was it? Positive and negative reviews are accepted and welcomed.****Also, the poll for the "Do you want the war to happen" will end by the time Chapter 7 hits the net.**

**As usual, thank you for reading :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

**Sorry for taking so long to update, guys. I've been busy with all the school projects coming my way. And since finals are coming soon, I've decided that there will only be a chapter per week. I do apologise, so you can throw all your unwanted stuff at me (ouch!). But anyways, I want to thank you all for the continuous support, so here are a few questions you have asked and I shall answer:**

**Q: Will there be lemon?  
A: Yes. Not in the next few chapters, but there will be lemon eventually.**

**Q: What if the two of them were trapped in a lab or something?  
A: Labs, cupboards... (*evil laugh*)**

**So without further ado, I present to you: CHAPTER 5 :D**

* * *

It was a while after Tris had left Caleb and the other transfers to return to their dormitory. She had fallen asleep on her bed when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Waking from her dream, she realized that it was Alfred.

"Ms Prior, sorry to wake you. Ms Matthews requested that I am to bring this note into your hands." Reaching into his pocket, he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Tris.

Tris accepted the paper and muttered a soft 'thank you'. When her instructor had left, she glanced at the clock on the far end of the wall. It showed 6:30pm, which meant that she had only slept for half an hour.

Looking back at the piece of paper in her hands, she quickly unfolded it, wondering what Jeanine would want to say to her. The cursive words on the paper wrote:

"Come to my office as soon as Mr Walker brings you this. 4th floor of the main building, third room down the left corridor."

Sucking in a deep breath, she flattened her shirt and walked to the elevator. Caleb and the others wouldn't be back for at least another twenty minutes, considering the amount of food Ray takes in at every meal, so by the time they return to their dormitory, she might already be back. She wouldn't have to explain anything to her brother or fellow initiates.

The door of the elevator opened, revealing a sad-looking Joshua inside.

Tris stepped in beside him and carefully asked, "Is something wrong?"

Joshua lifted his head to look at Tris, "I don't think I'll be getting a good grade for my initial IQ test. To be honest, it was harder than I thought it would be."

"Don't worry," Tris said as the elevator door opened, "You'll be fine. There's still a long way until initiation ends."

With a smile, she stepped out and headed in the direction of her faction leader's office.

By the time she stood in front of the white colored door, her heartbeat had quickened to a pace she never thought possible. Slowly, she knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

"Enter," said a familiar voice from inside the room.

Tris pushed the door open, and she found herself standing in a bright white room. The wall opposite her was made of glass, which, she could faintly see, look into the canteen block. The wall on her left had rows of experimenting tables lined along it, the one on her left had tall bookshelves filled with books she itched to read. The only other furniture in the room, save the experimenting tables and bookshelves, were two black cushioned chairs with a short coffee table in between, which were placed in the middle of the spacious room.

By one of those black chairs stood Jeanine Matthews. There was a thin smile playing on her lips as she beckoned Tris to the chairs.

"Have a seat, Beatice."

"It's Tris now," Tris answered, focusing on the sheet of paper on the table instead of the other woman's eyes.

"Tris," Jeanine said, testing the name on her lips, "I like it."

Tris felt her head buzz, her ears were blushing red, a shade of pink covering her cheeks. This was going to be longer than she thought.

Picking up the sheet of paper on the table, Jeanine's smile disappeared and a serious look replaced her features.

"Tris," she asked, staring intently at the said person, "How high do you think your IQ score is?"

"Somewhere around average?" Tris replied, convincing herself that her face couldn't get any redder even if she looked into those eyes.

"185. Your IQ score is 185, second to highest in our faction, not to mention the whole city."

Her eyes widened at what she had just learned about herself. _Second highest._

If what her father and everybody else said was true, that Jeanine Matthews's IQ score is the highest in their city, that means that the two most intelligent people in their small world surrounded by the fence were in this very room.

The older woman let her take in this surprising knowledge before saying, "I figured that you might want to know this before it becomes a public fact, which I doubt will take long."

The room was quiet as Tris gradually recovered from the shock she gained. Slowly, she rose from her chair. "Excuse me," she said, "I – I think I'll return to my dormitory now."

Jeanine watched as the initiate exit through the door with long, heavy steps.

Since she had her own IQ score tested out when she was sixteen, it only kept increasing, never had it decreased, so Jeanine didn't think that there would be anybody smart enough to gain an IQ score close to hers. The closest for years was Alfred Walker, who had a score of one hundred and forty. This was probably why she had kept him as her assistant. And still, one hundred and forty was a long way to her two hundred.

Now that she had met someone who's capable of rivaling herself, she didn't think that she'll let go that easily.

Not that her human nature would allow her, anyway.

The next morning found Tris half-awake at the breakfast table. She hadn't slept yesterday night, rolling in her bed, searching for a peace of mind and a comfortable position until dawn came and she pretended to wake with the others. She blamed the events earlier that evening.

Caleb was over cloud nine when he saw his results for the initial IQ test. His IQ score was 125, gaining fourth place on the list. Joshua's results were better than he thought it would be, which left him grinning like an idiot the whole morning. The twins had almost identical scores and surprisingly, the last on the list was an Erudite-born.

But none of that could compare to the shock they all had when they saw Tris's name on the top of the list.

Needless to say, they all congratulate her, even if Sophie didn't look too impressed with Tris's results.

As expected, Ray arrived at the table some time later than the others. They had breakfast; Tris wasn't so sure that she liked the fact that most of the Erudite-born initiates glared at her as she ate, so they went to Classroom 5C for their second class with Alfred earlier than needed.

"Today, you will be learning Botany. Can anyone tell me the definition of this branch of science?"

Everybody looked at Tris, as if expecting her to immediately raise her hand and answer the question. Even Alfred glanced at her after the question was asked. Did everybody just presumed that she would be a bit of a stuck up now that her IQ score was known throughout the whole faction and probably the city?

She remained quiet in her seat. Nobody seemed to want to answer the question, which left Alfred calling Tris up and asking her to answer the question.

She gulped. She was definitely not used to this attention they all gave her, especially not because of the probability that she gained her intelligence from either or both her parents. She wondered if they had heard that their daughter is one of the near geniuses in this city? Was there any other individual who had an IQ score close to hers, besides Jeanine Matthews?

Alfred coughed. Slowly, Tris recited the answer she had somehow memorized from a textbook.

"Botany, also called plant science or plant biology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. Botany originated in prehistory as herbalism with the efforts of early humans to identity – and later cultivate – edible, medicinal and poisonous plants, making it one of the oldest branches of science."

"Very good, Ms Prior," said Alfred. "Now then, if you will follow me, we shall go to a simulated greenhouse where you will learn how the Erudite cooperate with the Amity to produce crops increased in quantity and quality."

The class followed their instructor out the door and passed the classroom where the Erudite-borns were having their morning session with Jeanine Matthews. There were vials of liquid in test tube racks on each table. The Erudite-borns seemed to listen attentively to their faction leader. Well, Tris would listen attentively as well, since Chemistry was one of her favorite subject back in school, but perhaps having your instructor as a distraction wasn't the best way to learn.

Tris let her mind go blank as she risked a look at Jeanine.

She didn't look back.

Was that good or bad?

The rest of the morning session was a blur, once again. Tris's mind kept wandering off to that corner of her soul where everything she did had her thought of Jeanine. Caleb tried to engage her in conversation during the whole time they were caring for the plants in the greenhouse, but she ignored him completely, which left Caleb even more puzzled than ever.

Lunch came along, and the transfers sat at their usual table. Joshua joined them, taking his seat beside Tris.

"I've just realized something," said Ray, stuffing his cheeks with mashed potatoes, which reminded Tris of hamsters, even though she's only ever seen pictures of them, "We don't know each other well enough. Like, do you guys even know what's my favorite color?"

"Black?" Caleb said.

"Red?" August guessed.

"Blue?"

"Pink?"

"What in heaven's name, guys? Pink? My favorite color is gold," Ray laughed.

"Well," Emily piped, "You all will never guess my favorite color."

"I'd say purple."

"How?" she gasped.

"Lucky guess."

They went on about what their favorite colors were for a while, until Ray noticed that Tris hadn't spoke at all since they started eating.

"Tris? Your turn. I'm guessing your favorite color is bright orange."

"No. It's gray," Tris answered, still looking down at her food.

"Haven't you seen enough of gray in Abnegation?" Her brother asked.

"I used to like reading a book about colors when I was young," said Ray, "Gray is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is a color 'without color'."

Tris slowly looked up from her plate, and Ray said, "How can it be a color without color? It's like saying I'm a human but I'm not a human."

"Hmm?" Joshua hummed, "I'm not entirely sure what it means, by saying it's a color without color, but I'm sure you're not a human without emotions and feelings."

"What about Jeanine Matthews?" Tris asked abruptly.

"Ms Matthews? I don't know. I respect her, but sometimes I doubt that she's even human. I mean, those smiles she gives us are obviously just for show."

Tris shrugged. She wanted to leave. She wanted to personally ask Jeanine Matthews if she had any feelings or emotions at all. She wanted to hide in a quiet corner and consider this affection she was radiating to that one person she was slowly falling in love with.

But she can't.

She can't let anybody know her feelings, even if she wished there was someone she could talk to about this. She's containing her own feelings now. Is this what all emotionless people do? They conceal their feelings and lock them, never to be seen and felt again?

She snapped out from her musing and decided to act normal, even though she hadn't felt normal at all. It's only day two of initiation and felt empty already.

She finished her lunch, followed her friends to the library to do some reading, and followed them to class when it was almost 2 o'clock; all of which she carried out with her mind wandering elsewhere.

The tables in Classroom 5B were occupied with vials of liquid Tris had saw earlier. On each chair sat a neatly folded laboratory coat.

"I see that you are all here," Jeanine said as she walked in, her white laboratory coat fluttering behind her, "Put on your lab coat and have a seat."

As soon as the few of them finished putting on their coats, Jeanine continued: "For this evening, you will be studying Chemistry." She stopped her walking on the platform and scanned the initiates, her eyes finally landing on Tris. "You are required to complete eight of the solutions I have laid on the desks. The components you need to complete the solutions are in the cupboards at the end of the room. You may start now."

A few minutes were taken to examine the unfinished solutions, then the initiates started rushing to the cupboards to get their hands on whatever ingredients they need. Tris, however, remained in her seat as the others rush between the cupboards and tables. Jeanine raised an eyebrow at her, but she only shrugged her shoulders.

Finally, the initiates settled down to mix and add ingredients into their solutions, only then did Tris slowly head to the cupboards and gather her ingredients.

She added a few drops of transparent liquid into her solution, placing it into one of the test tube racks, she sensed a certain pair of eyes staring at either her work or herself. She didn't dare turn around. The last thing she wanted right now was for her brother and friends to see her blush under the gaze of their facion leader.

Instead, she focused on her second solution.

Concentrating on passing her initiation seemed to be working. It was five minutes until evening session ended when Jeanine clapped her hands together, gaining their attention.

"If you are done, please put a stopper to each of the test tubes. Leave it on the table and I shall collect it later." The initiates did as they were told, removing their coats, they began to file out of the classroom. "Stay back, Ms Prior," Jeanine said.

Caleb gave Tris a worried look, but after a nod from his sister which said that she will be fine, he left the room.

Jeanine waited until the other initiates were out of earshot before saying, "I noticed that you left three of the eight solutions untouched."

"They weren't supposed to be combined with anything. Adding ingredients will only delay the reaction between the molecules. Leaving them alone for a longer period of time is the best option," Tris explained.

A smile appeared on Jeanine's lips, and it was from that moment onwards that Tris doubted Joshua's saying that their faction leader had no feelings or emotions.

"None of the other initiates could figure that out, not even the Erudite-borns," said Jeanine, "But I do suppose being one of the most intelligent people here, you would find this session easy."

That smile.

_Great, at first it was just her eyes, now it's her smile too?_

"You may go join your friends for dinner," she said. After a pause, she continued, "I hope your IQ score hasn't caused any bother to you. Jealousy is an obstacle of human nature which peace has to fight. Do tell me if anyone troubles you."

Tris dragged her feet out the door and to the canteen block with her eyes wider than usual, staring at nothing.

She easily found her fellow initiates eating at one of the tables.

"What did Ms Matthews talk to you about?" Caleb asked as soon as she sat down at the table.

"Nothing," she whispered, "She just wanted to congratulate me, you know, for my IQ score."

"Oh, alright then. Eat up, little sis. You've been losing weight lately."

Has she?

Tris looked down at her thighs and abdomen. She _did _seem a little thinner than before. Perhaps it was best she throw all those thoughts about Jeanine Matthews into oblivion for a while and enjoy her dinner, her friends, her life.

Somehow, she got the feeling that all this was going to change soon.

* * *

**A/N:**

**As usual, many thanks for reading :)**

**War: YAY or NAY ?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Sorry that this update took (literally) a week. I've been re-obsessing over some other anime I've watched some time ago.  
I'm really glad that the reviews hit a 43. If I had to be honest, I definitely did not expect this fic to be loved, but I'm really glad that you guys do.**

**Enjoy this chapter :D**

* * *

The sun barely shone through the thick layer of clouds on the morning of their third day of initiation. The transfers got up lazily, yawns and stretches all around the room. A look at the gathering clouds outside the window told them that their day would be quite gloomy.

Tris wasn't sure if Alfred falling sick and Jeanine Matthews taking over his classes was a good or bad thing.

The news came yesterday. During dinner, Joshua told the transfers that their instructor had fallen sick. Sure enough, when they got back to their rooms, a note was stuck on the door, stating that Alfred had caught a bad case of high fever and their sessions for the next day will be taken over by Jeanine, which, of course, meant that they will have to spend eight hours with the Erudite-borns, learning stuff they had probably picked up years ago.

At first, Tris was positive that her fellow transfers would be horrified that their faction leader would be having another four hours to breathe down their necks. But somehow, after Emily had her little panic moment, they all agreed that getting to have classes with Joshua was not a bad thing.

Thus came the not so gloomy morning to their gloomy sky.

"I say, do you guys still want to have breakfast under the tree?" said Ray as they walked along a corridor, "I mean, not to be a pansycake, but I don't want my clothes to get wet and dirty."

Tris raised an eyebrow at him. "Pansycake?" she asked.

"Dauntless slang. Huge insult. You don't want to know the meaning."

"You're still using Dauntless slang, though? Shouldn't you be forgetting your old faction? I mean, you _are _in Erudite," said August, giving him a weird look.

Ray shrugged. "What if I get cut? Then I'm factionless. I don't want to forget my old faction yet, not until I'm promised a spot in Erudite."

August's twin sister, Sophie, looked as though she was about to say something, but seeing Joshua coming from the other end of the corridor and towards them, she closed her mouth.

"Guys!" Joshua said as he stopped beside Tris, a broad grin on his pale face, "Did you hear? We're having Mathematics and Medicine today. Mr Walker was supposed to teach us Math, but who cares, we got a really good trade."

"Well," said Caleb, "I think I prefer Mr Walker more. Unlike you, we've only known Ms Matthews by the rumors and two days of initiation. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels the pressure of being monitored by her."

Tris silently agreed with the rest of the group.

"True, true," murmured Joshua, "She _is _the smartest here."

"Nah, it's more like the look in her eyes that scares me," Emily piped, "I mean, her eyes are really pretty, but they feel so cold, you know what I mean?"

They nod.

The conversation died out as they stepped into the canteen block, which was, as expected, full of people. Tris followed her friends to get her food, and they squashed their way through the crowd and to their usual table.

They weren't expecting it to be empty, but they certainly did not expect to see their faction leader sitting at the table sipping a cup of espresso, a stack of files and paper before her. Joshua's eyes widen and his posture straightened immediately, the twins and Ray opened their lips, but no words came out, Caleb and Emily stood as still as statue, mouths slightly agape as well.

Jeanine Matthews looked up from her papers and smiled at them. That smile was so robotic, like it was just for show, without feelings and emotions, but full of superiority and power. The magnitude of her power was so great that it sent flickers of electricity licking down Tris's spine whenever she stood in her presence. She loved and feared her equally.

"Good morning, initiates," the blond said as she rose from her seat, "I trust that you are feeling rested today, as we shall need that freshness for today's classes."

They nod.

Tris noticed that the Erudite-born initiates from a nearby table had moved to stand amongst Joshua and the transfers.

"When you are finished with your breakfast," she continued, "Proceed to the laboratory on the second floor of the main building. We will be having both our sessions there."

They nod again.

As soon as she left the table, the initiates let out a breath of relief. It turned out that it wasn't just the transfers who were afraid of Jeanine Matthews.

Trays were placed on the table, silverwares were picked up, Tris looked down at her jammed toast. She hadn't the appetite to eat since she woke up, and seeing _her _didn't help at all. From across the table and beside Emily, Caleb shot her a big brother look that told her she had best finish her breakfast. Tris quietly bit into her toast, wondering how Ray could eat three fried eggs, a whole plate full of bacon, half a dozen pieces of toast and one or two apples for a meal. The fact that he doesn't look like he's gaining any weight at all makes Tris jealous.

But then, the whole female species wished to be slim.

"What do you think today's subject will be?" Sophie, whom Tris hadn't heard her spoke since their incident on the first day of initiation, asked their group.

Joshua's green eyes lit up immediately.

"I thought I told you just now? Ms Matthews will probably have us learn Medicine, since, you know," he paused, biting into his apple, "That's what she's best at," he swallowed, "And Chemistry. And Genetics."

As time closed by, Tris felt an invisible force pushing at her chest, making breathing difficult. Maybe it was because of the bad feeling she's been having since yesterday night when they found out that they will be spending eight hours in the presence of their beloved faction leader.

_Don't look at her. Just focus on whatever we'll be doing later and everything will be fine._

Time seemed to have stopped as the clock struck ten to eight. The initiates left the table and made way to the laboratory as required. Tris, as usual, tagged along at the end of the group, listening to her brother chatting with the others.

The laboratory itself was an airy room, painted white, with two rows of eight tables. On the tables were containers containing what Tris recognized as beeswax, infused oil, and tincture. Beside them were a couple of glass jars, knives, and spoons.

At the front of the lab was Jeanine Matthews, a white lab coat covering her blue collared shirt and knee-length skirt. She nodded at the stack of folded lab coats on one of the chairs, and the initiates quickly put on their coats, waiting for the next instruction.

"Since there are thirteen of you, I want you all to be split into groups of two, hopefully a transfer and an Erudite-born for each group. Tris, dear, you will be grouped with me. I don't think the other initiates will be happy to have their all work done by you, considering your intelligence," a flicker of a smile was seen in her eyes as she said it, "Each group shall have a table. Do try to sit opposite each other, that will make your work slightly easier to accomplish."

The initiates took little time to group themselves. Tris noticed that while Caleb partnered himself with the red-headed girl from before, the twins stayed together. Perhaps one of them was shy? She couldn't imagine either of them being timid.

The tables up front were taken, so Tris made her way to one of the tables at the back of the laboratory alone.

Great. How was she supposed to focus on her work when her partner was the one whom she felt attraction to?

The said woman's voice snapped her back from her supposed endless wonderings.

"For today's morning session, you will be learning how to make a medicinal salve. Erudite-borns, I trust that you know the definition of salves already. For those who do not know, a salve is an ointment for healing or relieving wounds and sores," she said, "The recipe for creating a medicinal salve is on the piece of paper on your table. You will follow the instructions and half the work so that your partner won't get too busy or too unengaged."

She stopped talking and walked to the table where Tris was, and the initiates instantly checked the paper for the instructions.

The first step to creating the required salve, as the instructions clearly stated, was to grate or cut 10 grams of beeswax.

After weighing the needed amount of beeswax, Tris picked up the grater on her left and proceeded to grate the beeswax into a bowl. When she was done, she checked the paper again, and did as she was told. She added some tincture and infused oil into the bowl of grated beeswax, heating the mixture over a low heat, she waited for the wax to fully melt before stirring it with a spoon.

By then, Tris's work partner had sat on the chair across her, watching her work. An amused look etched itself upon Jeanine's face as she propped her chin up with one of her hands.

Tris wanted to look up from the concoction to raise an eyebrow at the other woman, but she decided not to risk her blush maximize to a level that could, not literally, melt the bowl in her hands.

Tris followed the next step on the paper: She removed the mixture from the heat and allowed it to cool slightly but not set.

"You seem to do well without my help," Jeanine suddenly said, an almost-sincere smile dangling on her thin lips.

Accidentally, or not, Tris lifted her head a bit too swiftly. "Yes, well," she gulped, "Yes, I suppose."

Jeanine ran her fingers over a metal teaspoon, picking it up, she dipped the tip into the mixture.

"What? What's that for?" Tris asked, half-dazed from the smile and eyes and the close up delicate her faction leader was showing.

"I thought you'd know," Jeanine replied, not looking at her, "I was checking the consistency of the salve."

"O-Oh. I forgot," Tris stuttered, embarrassed that she had forgotten such a simple fact.

Jeanine removed the teaspoon from the mixture, raising an eyebrow at Tris, she asked, "It isn't as thick as I thought it would be, pass me the essential oil, will you?"

"O-Of course," Tris replied, passing the oil to her partner as she watched her pour a fraction more oil into the mixture to get the correct consistency. Jeanine stirred the mixture as Tris, still half-dazed, prepared a glass jar for the mixture.

They poured the concoction into the jar and capped it immediately to prevent the volatile oils from evaporating. Neither of them could hardly forget the split second their fingers brush by each other finish the last step of the creation of the salve. Jeanine's eyes windened a little at the contact, and Tris could have sworn to God that those watery gray eyes switched to the color of a storm brewing, slowly collecting clouds, finally bursting with confused and mixed emotions.

Then it ended.

The storm stopped and the sky cleared, leaving puddles of water here and there, leaving Tris even more confused than before.

That feeling ended a moment too quick.

* * *

_Can I feel_

_Can you feel_

_Life is a moment_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Reminder: The poll for "War: YAY or NAY" is going to end when I post Chapter 7!**

**Question: Among the initiates (except Tris), which two do you wish to end up as a couple?**

**Once again, thank you for reading :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

**I am so sorry for delaying the update *sobs*  
I have exams coming up, so I don't think I will be able to update for another month (no, I'm not exaggerating when I say it might take me 30 days).**

**But here you are: Chapter 7! :D  
Once again, thank you for your support :)  
**

* * *

The thing about feelings is that it demands to be seen. Often, Tris would conceal all her emotions with layers and layers of ice, breakable, but hard. After that tiny yet unforgettable incident during the first half of morning session, though, it seemed that Jeanine had saw through a portion of the ice, because as soon as the contact was made, she left the table and ordered the rest of the initiates to get on with their second salve.

The rest of the morning session found the initiates making more salves. Eventually, they ended up with ten types of different salves per group, all more medication purposes.

During lunch, a friend of Joshua's – whose name Tris hadn't bothered to remember - came to sit at the transfers' table.

"Hello, Miss Second-To-Most-Intelligent," he said in a playful tone, a grin on his face as he claimed his seat beside Tris.

"Oh, come on, Carwen, stop flirting with the girl," Joshua joked, "Caleb is glaring at you, you know."

Which was true.

Caleb _was _glaring at the newcomer.

Since when was her brother so protective over her? Or was he always like that? That would explain the way he always looked at Robert – their former neighbor – when Tris spoke to him.

Half of their lunch time came and went. When the clock struck one, they went to the main library to get some reading in. Tris followed her brother to a section labeled 'ASTRONOMY' and picked a thick, leather-bounded book off the shelf.

She won't be able to concentrate on whatever the author of the book wrote, not after the event that happened during morning session. But she played along. She fixed a cold and studious look on her face and flipped the pages of the book, occasionally looking up to scan the library. She mentally scolded herself for expecting the impossible. Did she honestly think that Jeanine Matthews would appear at the main library when she had her own personal library in her office? She was a faction leader, an important individual, not some fellow who only needed to be bothered with his or her own problems.

She was most probably in her office, glancing over files and papers and signing them off. At least, that was what Tris thought.

* * *

Jeanine Matthews was at the glass wall again, looking out at the Erudite compound and some point beyond it. Ever since the Choosing Ceremony, she had made it a habit to stand at the glass wall and ponder about many things all at once. It certainly didn't help decrease the amount of work she had to complete, but that was what assistants such as Alfred was for.

Making a mental note that she had to call upon Alfred and give him a portion of those papers to look over later, Jeanine allowed her mind to wander off to a piece of memory she had been locking up the whole morning.

She was positive that Tris's behavior earlier that day was out of the ordinary. Her IQ score may be the highest in the city, but love didn't need a professional translator to tell her that Tris had at the least a small crush on her.

It would be a lie to say that Jeanine didn't return the feelings.

* * *

\

The rest of the evening was quick and yet slow. The initiates filed out of the library to head to their evening class back at one of the classrooms. They had Mathematics and were required to explain and prove equations such as the equation of a circle's area, which was not difficult to Tris at all.

Speaking of difficulties, Tris was more than glad that a certain woman decided not to stand behind her seat for too long as she completed her questions on the computer. She felt her body and soul at ease, well, easier than before, as she typed in the answers.

Four hours ended faster than she had thought it would be. She trailed behind the group of initiates, watching Caleb and the red headed Erudite-born girl chat and laugh together as they all made for the canteen block again.

Was it just Tris, or did Caleb blush when the girl waved at him?

As they reached the canteen block, the Erudite-borns and transfers split themselves into two tables once more. It seemed that the two parties, despite their age and other similarities, would never be too close to each other.

Just like them.

They would never be more than what they were then. They would never be an item, not now, not ever. They would never be able to act like all the other couples and lovers in the world, because Tris was so sure that even if Jeanine Matthews had a human side of her, she wouldn't allow herself to like Tris more than a faction leader should.

But that was it. Tris was excellent at many things, but is it true that all the smartest people are extremely blunt at love? Suppose those words _were_ true, then Tris was exceptionally blunt when it comes to love others were giving her.

She could see and feel the love her parents gave to each other, the admiration Caleb literally radiated off his very soul and to the red headed girl, even the moments where she'd catch Ray and Sophie stealing glances at each other when they assume that nobody was watching, but she just couldn't see how Jeanine Matthews would even have feelings for _her_.

Dinner that night was Asian delights. Tris gathered whatever looked good to her and sat with the transfers. Joshua and Carwen seemed to have decided that they will be joining the other Erudite-borns for dinner, so Tris sat between her brother and Ray. She listened to what the others were saying, trying hard to not space out, when suddenly Ray said something funny again.

"I watch what I eat every day. I mean, who actually eats with their eyes closed?"

There were snorts, there were sighs, but Tris was the only one who rolled their eyes. She let a smirk tug the corner of her lips up.

"Come on, it's true," said Ray.

She liked the things Ray said. It was a fact, but only a few people seemed to notice the simplest facts. She prayed and prayed that Ray would keep on his simple-fact-noticing without finding out about her feelings towards their leader. With his big mouth, she doubted that the truth would take long to spread if he knew.

"My favorite body part is my eyes," he said, cheeks stuffed with what Tris thought was noodles, "We scarcely know how much out pleasure and interest in life comes to us through our eyes until we have to do without them; and part of that pleasure is that the eyes can choose where to look, but the ears can't choose where to listen."

"You do realise that you've just said something really clever, right?" August asked.

The others nodded. Tris never knew that Ray was so… deep.

"I've been temporarily blinded once for one whole day. It was awful. I almost stumbled into the Dauntless pit if my brother wasn't walking beside me. So yeah, eyes are awesome," Ray said casually, "I also like how eyes can tell you how others feel. Well, most of the time, anyway. The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter – often an unconcious but still faithful one – in the eye."

By then, everybody at the table gaped at Ray with huge eyes and opened lips.

As if he had been controlled, Ray snapped out from his slightly dreamy state and said, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Not to be rude, but do you have character schizophrenia? I mean, one moment you're all deep and serious and telling us the importance of eyes, and the next moment you're back to your joker form again."

"Character schizophrenia? That's split personality disorder, isn't it?" Ray asked. The others nod, and he scrunched his brows together, "Of course I don't. You don't see me trying to murder somebody one minute and start knitting scarves for you guys next, do you?" he joked.

They laughed. It's hard to stay serious when Ray and his awful jokes were around.

Later that night, the six transfers sat cross-legged at the center of their dormitory with a glass bottle in the middle.

"You said we weren't playing Spin the Bottle," August glared at Emily.

The said girl simply laughed. "Don't worry, you won't be losing your first kiss to someone besides your dear Agatha," she said, causing August to blush. "I thought we'd have some fun tonight. I used to play Truth or Dare with my friends back in Amity, and from what I've heard, the Dauntless version of the game is just Dare," she glanced over at Ray, who nodded. "I'm not sure about the Candor and Erudite, but I get the feeling that you guys don't get to play much games back in Abnegation, right?" she glanced at Tris and Caleb, who agreed with awkward smiles.

"I'll explain the rules then," Emily said in a happy tone, "We take turns spinning the bottle. Whoever the tip points to will have to choose either truth or dare. If the chosen person chooses truth, the one who spun the bottle will have to ask him or her a question, which he or her has to answer truthfully," at here, she stopped and glanced at August and Sophie.

"What?" asked August.

"We were Candors, remember?" Sophie slapped his arm gently – or, well, as gentle as siblings could get.

"Oh."

"As I was saying," Emily continued, "If the chosen person chooses Dare, the spinner will have to dare him or her to do something daring. After the chosen person answers the question or finishes the dare, he or she will have to spin the bottle and the game goes on. Easy, right? I'll go first."

The bottle spun and as it gradually slowed down, the tip pointed at Caleb.

"This would be interesting," Emily laughed, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," replied Caleb.

"Let me think," she hummed, "I dare you to do a handstand while saying 'Look at my hands, guys, they're so strong' ten times."

The group burst into fits of giggles and laughter as Caleb repeated those words, trying hard not to fall from his own laughter. When he finished, the bottle was spun again. And it stopped, pointing at August.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," August smirked.

Caleb seemed mildly impressed at his choice, as well as the others. Tris supposed they'd all think that after being in Candor for sixteen years, August would be sick of speaking the truth all the time.

"On a scale from one to ten, how much do you want to return to Candor and be by Agatha's side?"

August's irises widened. It was a fairly good question, but Sophie didn't seem comfortable with it.

"It depends. If Erudite represents one and Sophie represents ten, I would say five," he answered slowly.

Emily and Ray aww-ed at his answer, and Tris saw Sophie trying to hide her smile.

For the next quarter of an hour or so, the group played their game. When it was his turn, Ray chose dare and had to shout 'I secretly do not want people to look at my sweaty muscles' in the corridor just outside their dormitory, Sophie admitted that she has an obsession with furry animals, and Emily went to the canteen block to juggle buns and finishing them off later on.

Emily spun the bottle as she ate the last of her buns, and the rest of the transfers waited in anticipation as the bottle turned and finally stopped with its tip pointing at Tris.

"Truth or Dare?" Emily asked, smiling.

"Um," Tris stuttered, "Dare?"

The transfers chuckled with amused looks on their faces. "I dare you," Emily paused dramatically, "To walk barefoot from our dorm to Ms Matthews's office doorstep."

Tris would be lying if she said that she wasn't surprised. And judging by the looks on the others' faces, they were too. "Okay," she agreed.

They put on their shoes, and as Tris watched them doing so, she tried to force down the excitement she felt inside. She put on a face that sort of went along the lines of 'I'm just a girl going out to complete a dare and not visit my crush'.

* * *

Jeanine Matthews was still awake. How could she not after seeing Tris and the rest of the transfers stop at her doorstep? People tend to forget that she was a workaholic. And the fact that her office had glass walls that she liked to stand by and watch. Plus those two together, one shouldn't exactly be surprised that Jeanine would be glancing out of her office at midnight.

She would have to learn more about the transfers' near-midnight trip to her office tomorrow. She supposed she could pull one of them to a corner and ask them about it. Yes, that would do.

But why was she overwhelmed with the feeling that she shouldn't?

* * *

_Streetlight People_

_Living just to find emotion_

_Hiding somewhere in the night_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Results for the War: YAY or NAY poll: (including those from reviews and PM)**

***drumroll please, Ray!* - ignore me...**

**YAY: 14  
****NAY: 9**

**So yeah, there will be a war. But look at the bright side, I've already planned the next chapter to be a tension-full one. You'll love it.  
As usual, thanks for reading :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello dears, I'm back! :D**

**I think exams fried my brain cells, because this chapter is so awful I don't think any of you could finish reading it without vomiting. Somewhere in this chapter you will come across a term called 'lucid dream'. For those of you who have no idea what a lucid dream is, it is a dream state where you are aware that you are dreaming and have control over your actions in the dream.**

**Enjoy! (And try your best to not vomit)**

* * *

The next morning was a bright one. The sky was clear and the sun shone through the windows as the transfers changed out of their pajamas. News from the Erudite-borns came early that morning. Tris yawned softly. Honestly, did Joshua have to wake them up_ two_ hours before initiation classes start just to tell them that Alfred was healed and back to monitor them? Apparently, that wasn't the only news he had brought that morning.

"We're having Physics and Astronomy today. Astronomy will require us to look at the night sky, so guess what? We're having classes together again because evening session just changed into night session!" Joshua exclaimed happily.

"So which session is Mr Walker teaching?" Tris wanted to ask which session Jeanine Matthews was going teach but decided against it. Whichever session Alfred was teaching, Jeanine would be teaching the other; no need for obvious abidings.

"No, no, you got it wrong," said Joshua, "They'll both teach us. Both sessions."

"Oh."

That certainly wasn't what Tris had hoped to hear.

On the way to the canteen, she saw that the Erudite compound was nearly empty of people. There was no sight of anybody in the canteen itself, save Tris and her fellow initiates. Well, it _was _barely seven in morning.

Despite their earliness that day, the chef seemed to be ready to cook for them as they stepped into the canteen. With a pan and spatula in each hand, he asked the 16-year-olds what they would like to have for breakfast.

The initiates chatted as they ate their breakfast, taking more time than usual. The tables around theirs filled up ultimately with school children, adults preparing for work, and, of course, their dearest faction leader who so conveniently decided to sit at the table beside theirs.

Tris was the first of the initiates to notice that Jeanine had put on a look colder than before and glanced at them. Or, judging by the sharpness of that glance, one would call it a glare.

"Do you think she knows?" August whispered as quietly as he could, peering at the woman.

"That we sneaked out - " Sophie asked.

" 'Sneak out' is such a strong word…" August mumbled, cutting his sister off.

"Fine. That we payed her a visit at midnight? Of course she does."

August pouted. He didn't want to get into trouble. He didn't want any of his friends to get into trouble either. Not when they were still initiates and at risk of being kicked out before they even joined Erudite; officially, at least. He wouldn't worry about Tris, if they were being chosen based on their IQ scores, she would be the first one in.

* * *

For the rest of their time spent in the canteen, the only thing Tris did was mindlessly finish off her breakfast and occasionally nodding at something her friends had said. Her eyes kept wandering away from her will to not look at those shimmering gray eyes as they reflected sunrays off, making them look even more breathtaking than usual.

It was a quarter to eight when the initiates left the canteen block to prepare for their morning session together. A note from Alfred came by to tell them that their presence was required in the physic laboratory, and there was where they spent their four hours of morning session.

Halfway through the session, Tris suddenly realized that she and the initiates were about to spend almost the whole day with Jeanine Matthews. They met her during breakfast earlier that day, they would be monitored by her from then till noon, and nighttime would need them to be with her at the astronomy tower. Tris inhaled a deep breath of air as she pondered over it, watching Jeanine speak quietly with Alfred at the front of the room. Something bubbled inside of Tris, something called jealousy. All this attraction she felt towards her was going to burst one day, just as a volcano would erupt when it reached its limit, and hurt people around it.

Tris wasn't sure if Caleb would understand that her romantic feelings were not quite the same as everybody else's. Will he be able to forgive her? Or will he be mad at her?

Oh, what was she thinking. Caleb wouldn't know anything about her crush on their faction leader even if their lives depended on it. Tris simply forbade that her brother should know something like that. Besides, the fire wouldn't last too long if the fuel was cut off. So all she had to do was quit being around Jeanine for more than necessary.

Morning session ended without any incidents occurring. Tris walked beside Ray as he patted his stomach, complaining that hunger was taking over his body again. The twins chattered amongst themselves, Emily remained silent all the way to the canteen block, and Caleb… She wasn't sure where Caleb was. Probably with the red headed girl somewhere behind the group.

She would have to ask Caleb about that girl sometime.

* * *

The transfers took their lunch to the shady tree outside the canteen block. As Tris sat cross-legged on the grass next to her brother who had a goofy grin on his face, she decided to ask about the girl: "So, got a new girlfriend already, Caleb?" she joked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the said boy replied swiftly, a hint of redness creeping through his ears and cheeks.

The twins, who were busy eating until then, immediately turned to look and each other as sly smiles plastered themselves on the twins' lips. "Liar," they said in unison.

"Out with her name, Caleb," said Ray between mouths of food.

"No," said Caleb who was turning all shades of red.

"Persistent. We'll get it out of you somehow."

"Or, we can just ask Joshua," suggested Emily, "She _is _an Erudite-born. Joshua has to know her name."

Caleb's eyes widened slightly. "This is a trap, isn't it? I'm not telling you," he said suspiciously.

The six of them teased him for a few more moments before continuing with their lunch, casually conversing about their favorite planets and other space-related topics. Tris supposed that they would be spending the night out on the astronomy tower to look through telescopes and recognize planets and stars. She always took an interest in that branch of science. She liked how the galaxy and world around them was so huge and mysterious, like a puzzle that has no limit, one would never know if parallel universes ever even existed.

When they were done with their food, Caleb suggested that they return to their dormitory to rest and catch up on some reading, which gained supports from the transfers.

Tris leaned against the head of her bed as she flipped the pages of the book in her lap. She felt drowsier and drowsier by the second, her eyelids felt as though they were weighted down by metal blocks, sleep gradually caressed her soul and she slowly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The cool touch of snowflakes kissed her skin as she cleared the cloudy feeling from her mind. This was a dream. It couldn't be reality. The sun – according to all senses of logic – should be shining in the city, so what more than a dream could this be?

She opened her eyes as she propped herself up on an elbow. Standing up and leaving her previous laying position, Tris found herself in a rose garden where the hedges formed a maze. She stayed where she were for a few seconds before her ears caught the sound of footsteps nearing her.

Becoming aware that this was one of her usual lucid dreams, she easily convinced her dream-self that nothing could hurt her in a dream – at least, not physically.

Tris took small steps towards the source of the sound and, coming out from behind a rose bush, she found Jeanine Matthews standing in the snow facing away from her. The snow seemed to fall gentler around Jeanine. It landed softly on her pale blue gown and blond curls that Tris ached to feel with her own fingers.

At that moment, she let herself go.

_This is just a dream. It won't hurt anyone._

It won't hurt anyone. Anyone but Tris. Her longing would only increase and never decrease. She would be forever emotionally hurt, and wounds made by emotions and feelings never fade away, they always leave scars.

Tris stepped closer to the Jeanine in her dream and, as she reached out to touch her, the woman turned around and broke through all of Tris's defenses with those gray eyes that seemingly turned into sharp steel. The coldness in those eyes as they pierced through the air and her heart was beyond the temperature of the snow around them.

The ice melted away at the time that the scenery changed into what Tris had recognized as the Erudite compound, only Tris couldn't hear anything from the crowd. The only thing she heard was the beating of her own heart, or maybe Jeanine's, as they strolled about together, watching the ever-changing kaleidoscope of life as it ebbed and flowed through the city. The sunset gave the city a warm glow, as though welcoming the tired back home, and the loved a new hope that they should see the sun rise again the next day.

"Tris," said a voice much too deep to be Jeanine's.

"Tris," it repeated, "Wake up, Tris."

* * *

Jeanine Matthews sat on a chair at the top of the astronomy tower as she closed the book in her hands. She had been there for half an hour before the initiates as well as Alfred walked through the door of the tower. After asking Alfred to check for any problems with the telescopes, she explained to the initiates that they were to observe certain planets and stars for the night. When she was told that all the telescopes were perfectly functional, she let the initiates use one of them each.

Finally deciding that she would get Tris to stay back a little while after night session ends, she walked about the tower, observing the initiates as they looked through their telescopes and scribbled down notes on their notepad.

As the hours closed in to the last quarter of an hour, Jeanine noticed that most of the initiates were yawning and stretching, all with a look of tired on their faces.

"Please leave your notepads beside your telescope, I will have it collected and returned to you tomorrow. All of you may leave, except Tris. I want a word with you."

One would think that Tris would feel bubbly and excited inside. Truth be told, she was more afraid than anything else. Caleb gave her a squeeze on her shoulder, which only made her feel more awful. She watched as her brother closed the door to the tower, leaving her alone with Jeanine.

"Should I assume that you already know why I want to see you?" asked Jeanine, a smile tugging up the corners of her lips.

"It's about yesterday night, isn't it, Ms Matthews?"

The smile on Jeanine's face only broadened as she stopped her saunter, slowly turning to look at Tris: "Did you all have nothing else to do than have a night excursion around the Erudite compound?"

"No, I'm sure we have better things to do. It's not against any of the rules, is it, to stroll along in your own faction's compound?" Tris answered, trying to maintain the stability in her voice. She's already memorized all the rules of their faction so she doesn't break any of them before she's even officially a member of Erudite.

"There are no rules against that. But you should refrain from being so close to the line. It's better safe than sorry."

_She really has to stop smiling like that. It's too distracting._

"Of course," Tris stuttered, "Sure."

The silence that followed was almost comfortable. The crisp air swallowed the fear in Tris's heart bit by bit as she looked up and into those two pools of quiet gray eyes, which, under the shadow of the moon, retained a dominating look.

Jeanine stood for some moments gazing at her, with affection beaming in one eye, and calculation shining out of the other. The tension between them was so intense that she was sure that Tris was emotionally falling and drowning in between her consciousness and subconscious. If any outsider walked in on them at the time, they would see sparks in the air.

A desolate sigh left Tris's lips. She was struggling.

"I – I'll return to my dormitory then, if that's all."

_She's still trying to stay calm._

Just as the door to the tower shut, Jeanine turned her back away and glanced up at the moon hanging high above in the night sky. Thoughts relentlessly rushed through her mind as she mused deeply. They're both losing control over themselves, and she knew that well enough to be aware that they were alone in this.

* * *

_It seems like we've been losing control_

_Somebody tell me we're not alone_

* * *

**A/N: Right. I have some questions for you guys:**

**#1 Is this fic going too fast? Or too slow?  
#2 Any ideas on how you want Tris &amp; Jeanine to get together?  
#3 Name that red headed girl Caleb has a crush on! xD**

**As always, thanks for reading :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**

**I have returned! And I have returned with a new chapter! :D I do apologize for delaying the update... I have been hospitalized for the past week (and you know how it is with doctors). ****But anyway, I'm alright now so I present to you: Chapter 9!  
Also: Special thanks to KarolMarques who has been supportive to the level of sending me texts and contributing plenty of ****ideas for future chapters!**

* * *

"Are you alright?" asked Carwen, the Erudite-born boy from yesterday, as he looked up and down at Tris.

After leaving the astronomy tower with a heavy heart, Tris decided to go to some place quiet so that she can process her thoughts without being disturbed by human or time. But then thoughts of her brother being anxious caused her to take the elevator back to their dormitory instead. Of course, she hadn't expected one of her fellow initiates to be out of their dormitory as well.

Slowly, she answered that she was fine, which, by the looks of it, Carwen didn't believe her at all.

"When pain brings you down, don't be silly, don't close your eyes and cry, you just might be in the best position to see the sun shine," he said.

"That's a quote, isn't it?" a smile quirked up her lips.

"Are you doubting my ability to say clever things?" he joked.

She chuckled. "Dr Seuss, am I right?"

"Yeah. I used to read his books. Basically all the kids read his books."

"All the Erudite kids, you mean," Tris said as the elevator door opened.

"No, I'm sure the Amity and Candors let their children read, too," he laughed, "I'm not sure about the Dauntless, though. And your previous faction – don't tell me – the Abnegation sees reading as an act of selfishness where one uses one's own time to benefit oneself."

Tris silently agreed by nodding. As they passed the Erudite-borns' dormitory, Carwen held the doorknob with one of his hands and waved at Tris with the other. It was that moment that Tris suddenly realized that she had almost forgotten to ask Carwen the name of the red headed girl.

"Carwen?" she asked just as he was about to turn the doorknob.

"Yeah?" he turned around to look at her with a smile that somehow reminded Tris of Joshua's beams.

"Who's the red headed girl?"

"You mean the one who has been flirting with your brother? That would be Mina, short for Wilhelmina."

Tris thanked him, and returned to her own shared dormitory, where she found her brother and friends chatting in their pajamas. Grabbing her own set of sleeping clothes, she quickly changed in the bathroom and came back out to join in the conversation. It took her little time to be aware that they were talking about the upcoming final IQ test, which was due in two days.

* * *

"We should get some reading in…" Caleb said, "I heard Joshua saying that we're having Genetics tomorrow. I get the feeling that Ms Matthews is going to be monitoring us for when we study Genetics."

There were murmurs and nods among the transfers when Tris instantaneously spoke up: "Are you sure it was Joshua and not – oh, you know – " she said playfully, "Mina?"

"Who's Mina?" asked Ray, but after a second he seemed to have caught on with everybody else, "Oh. Caleb's girlfriend. How could I have forgotten."

The very veins on Caleb's face and ears went a shade of healthy pink while the others chaffed at him good-naturedly.

They chatted a while more, and ultimately settled down to a bit of studying. As expected, Tris couldn't concentrate on reading at all. She skimmed a few pages of her book before quietly telling the others that she was going to turn in early that night. They nodded in reply, and Tris, after placing her book back on her bedside table, pulled the covers all the way up to cover her whole body, including her head.

She didn't dare to let her emotions leak just yet, so she remained in her position until finally, the sound of the other initiates going to bed was heard. Again, she waited until she was sure that they were all asleep. Only then did she quietly put on her shoes and wormed out of the dormitory to have a walk in the compound.

_Rebelling, are we? _A small part of her asked.

Jeanine Matthews was still awake.

_Perhaps a change of scenery is decent for the mind, _she thought as she leaned against the railings of the astronomy tower. Was it her fault that Tris was acting all flustered just moments ago? She would like to think so, but it didn't feel right. _Hell, nothing felt right since the Choosing Ceremony._

Especially not when she saw with her own eyes that Tris was about to switch to Dauntless, had that drop of blood fell a second later, Tris _would_ be in Dauntless. If that drop of blood had ended up in the bowl of coals instead of the bowl of water, would her life be much calmer? She would continue with her usual lifestyle, wouldn't she? She wouldn't even need to worry about the times where their time would clash and they would meet each other.

But hypothesis were only hypothesis.

As of the moment, Jeanine could have sworn that if one of them won't make a move soon, they would both break. If Tris was going to keep avoiding her with excuses like dormitories, they would never make it, together or not.

* * *

_**2 DAYS LATER**_

* * *

"I'm so nervous."

"What was I thinking, choosing Erudite…"

"Oh my God. This is going to be the last day I ever see you guys."

"All. The. Pressure."

Sophie gracefully turned her head to look at her brother, who stood beside her muttering. "If you don't shut up, I'm going to tell Agatha that you've been snapping pictures of her since we were young," she threatened, a sweet yet poisonous smile on her lips.

Slowly turning to look at his twin, August narrowed his eyes and said: "You wouldn't dare."

"Keep whining. Go on, I dare you," Sophie smirked.

"There's no way you can tell her that. We don't even have any means of communication with the other factions," he said, "If we did, I would have known…" he added the last part quietly.

Sophie glanced at her brother as a sad look took over his usual cheery face. "You can still see her, you know. Not now. But I'm sure you'll see her one day."

August nodded but said nothing, which made the situation with the transfers awkward. Tris knew that Sophie was trying to comfort him, and she knew August wouldn't actually be mad at his twin sister; it was that that hit Tris the hardest. She and Caleb never had these sibling moments, especially not when they were Abnegations. But even as they joined Erudite, the relationship between them hadn't got any closer. To be frank, Tris never had a strong relationship with anybody besides her family – perhaps strong was the wrong word to describe her family bonds.

It was the day of the initiates' final IQ test, which will conclude their result for the first stage of their initiation. The initiates – both transfers and Erudite-borns – gathered at the outside of a spacious classroom to await the arrival of their faction leader and her assistant.

There wasn't an initiate who didn't feel edgy when they heard the footsteps of Jeanine and Alfred coming their way. Even Tris admitted that she was highly strung – for different reasons, of course.

The initiates were ushered into the room where twenty or so computers sat on individual tables. Taking their seats, they waited for instructions as to what they were about to do. Tris watched as Alfred typed busily at the computer up front. For a moment or two, the room was silent save the tapping noise from Alfred's typing. Jeanine stood beside him, glancing at the computer screen.

"Today, you will be attempting your final IQ test, which will set a score for your first stage of initiation. There will be a total of two hundred questions which you are required to complete in five hours. There will be no breaks in between. Trips to the restroom are discouraged unless absolutely needed," said Jeanine, smiling elegantly, "Your five hours start as soon as a pop-up appears on your computer screen."

It was rude to stare, Tris knew that, but under the bright white light of the room, her crush looked stunningly beautiful with her shoulder length blond hair falling just below her shoulder caps, her lips ticking up a smile that seemed so real, and those eyes with colors that Tris would have used to paint a million pictures. As if her facial appearances weren't perfect enough, the clothes she was wearing gave her a dominant look, an air of superiority surrounding her.

The silence in the room was taken over by a beeping sound, a pop-up appeared on the initiates' screens, and tapping noises filled the air.

For the first two hours, all the initiates remained in their seats, typing answers into their computers with both eyes staring straight at the screen, barely blinking at times. Occasionally, one of them would pause to stop or flex their muscles, but that was it. Nobody left the room until finally, when the clock ticked into the third hour, Jeanine muttered a few words to Alfred and proceeded out of the room.

Another hour passed and Tris's limbs felt numb due to the position she has been maintaining for so long. Noticing that Jeanine still hasn't return, and feeling the need to stand up and stretch, Tris excused herself from the room for a trip to the bathroom.

Was she surprised that Jeanine Matthews was in the restroom as well? Yes, she was mildly confounded at that.

Pretending that everything was ordinary, she washed her hands at the washbasins, stealing a glance at the woman standing beside her. Jeanine stood there gazing into the mirror, like she hasn't noticed Tris staring at her. Tris raised an eyebrow and, unable to contain her curiosity anymore, she coughed softly to gain Jeanine's attention.

"Are you alright, Ms Matthews?" she asked carefully.

Jeanine looked at the mirror and into her own eyes for a moment longer before saying: "There's only one answer people expect to hear when they ask that question, isn't there? So yes, I'm quite fine, dear," she smiled and after drying her hands, she left the restroom.

Tris watched her go, spacing out as she let thoughts flow through her mind.

_Did she just call me dear?_

It shouldn't mean anything, should it? She shouldn't put it on her heart…

Quickly drying her hands, Tris sucked in a deep breath of air and went back to the room where all the other initiates were. As she returned to her seat and continued typing in the answers for the IQ test, she couldn't help but wonder if Jeanine had been in the restroom for the past hour. Surely she couldn't have stayed there staring at her own reflection for so long? She must have been doing something else…

Thoughts trailed around in her mind as she wondered this and that, and, finally realizing that time has closed in to the last quarter of an hour, Tris pushed them to the back of her head and finished off the remaining few questions on the screen.

At the end of five hours, Jeanine signaled them to stop answering the questions and turn in their work. Tris noticed that her fellow initiates looked tired and sleepy, which was understandable, considering the time they spent in the same position.

"The results of your final IQ test will be announced shortly after dinner. Please take note that it will be posted on a notice board at the corridor to your dormitory," said Jeanine, "A reminder before you leave: Stage Two of your initiation starts tomorrow. Part One will take up three days whereas Part Two will take up the last two days of initiation. There will be another final test at the end of Stage Two, and your initiation officially ends after that."

* * *

During dinner, Tris sat at the table with her fellow transfers – the Erudite-borns hadn't joined them, despite Joshua's feeble attempts at getting Caleb and Mina to sit at the same table.

"She says that she has a sister called Myra who transferred to Dauntless."

"I like the color of her hair. They really bring out the blue in her eyes, don't you think?"

"She has these sketches and plans for some basic serum. She says she'll show me sometime."

"She wants to get a job concerning serum after initiation."

The transfers – plus Joshua – buried their heads into their food, eating noiselessly and quickly as Caleb went on and on about his girlfriend – whom he kept denying as his significant other.

"Speaking of jobs, what kinds of jobs are there?" Ray said, spotting a chance to change the topic.

"All the good jobs will be taken if you arrive too late, so make sure you come early if you don't want to end up cleaning public toilets," Joshua said half-seriously, "I'm thinking of working at the control room; it's the easiest. All you have to do is sit and monitor the compound through surveillance cameras."

"Anything else?"

"You can work in the labs. Experimenting with serums and new technology is what you'll be doing. It would be fun, but it's definitely tiring. I hear that Ms Matthews is in need of another assistant; you won't be seeing me as her assistant even if it costs my life. I mean, does my IQ score look like I stand a chance?" he laughed as the others shook their head, "No, I didn't think so. Honestly, we all don't stand a chance; except you, Tris, your chances at getting a good job are pretty fine," he said, looking directly at Tris.

"And… you think being Ms Matthews's assistant is a good job?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"It isn't a matter of what I think; it _is _a good job. The pay is high, and all you have to do is look through some papers. All she wants in her assistant is high IQ score, which you undoubtedly possess."

* * *

Leaving the canteen block to head to their dormitory, Tris felt an immense pressure and excitement pushing and pulling inside of her. Everybody seemed to think highly of her. She didn't want to disappoint, and yet, she didn't want to spend her life just for the pleasure of others.

At the corridor to their dormitory gathered all the initiates, transfers and Erudite-borns alike, as they jumpily scanned the notice board for their names and IQ scores.

Most of them increased their IQ scores by a few units, some of them remained unchanged, but Tris's IQ score was the one which increased the most – ten units. A solid 195 was seen beside her name as her brother and friends congratulated her, which somehow confirmed that doubt in her heart that she will eventually end up as Jeanine Matthews's assistant.

"If it's true that Ms Matthews's IQ score is 200, that means your IQ score is only five units less than hers!" exclaimed Ray as they returned to their rooms, all feeling relieved and slightly more relaxed – all except Tris.

* * *

Jeanine wasn't sure if she liked the fact that Tris's IQ score was increasing to a level that was dangerously close to her own. When she scanned the results of the initiates' final IQ test, she had expected Tris's score to grow, but what she hadn't foreseen was that it would have increased so much.

Fondling with the papers in her hands, she wondered about Tris's future if she were to stay in Erudite. She could choose to be her assistant – she was easily her first choice if she had to be truthful – but would Tris want that?

Nevermind somebody else's future, she should concentrate on their city's future.

The other faction leaders just don't seem to understand the situation they were in, do they? Can they not see that a war was brewing, no matter their favor? The future of their city was corrupting – no, _corrupting _was the wrong word. It's making its way to a better, brighter world. They would work themselves to the greater good, and a war was all they need to reach an ideal goal.

Jeanine was so sure of it. She was so sure that all she had done would go to a brighter future.

* * *

_I try to run away but your eyes_

_Tell me to stay Oh why_

_Why do we call this love_

* * *

**A/N:**

**It would be funny to have Jeanine trying to understand what was so mesmerizing about her eyes, wouldn't it? I can imagine her staring into the mirror, tilting her head here and there, trying to find the right angle where the sun reflects off hereyes and find out what so breathtaking it is about them. But she would never know, would she? I can't wonder that she'll ever find out.**

**I have a bad habit of never re-reading my own fic (I don't know why, I just seem to be too disgusted with my own writing to continue), so I rely on Word to check if I have made any grammar or spelling mistakes - and sometimes Word fails me... So if any of you are interested in being my Beta for this fic, PM me :)**

**As usual, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:**

**This chapter is shorter than the others (mainly because I am busy planning the war and the ending; since they say 'start with the end in mind').**

**Special thanks to my Beta, Your Fellow Conspirator.**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

"For the second and last stage of your initiation, you are required to assemble in this room for both sessions," Jeanine said as she gestured to the room. She and the initiates were in. A chair sat in the middle of the white-painted room, which was spacious and broad, like all the other rooms of the Erudite compound. "Today, you will be injected with this serum," she nodded at the vial of clear liquid in her hand, "Which will cause you to enter a simulation where each you will be required are to solve a mystery. Your scores will be based on the time used for the mystery to be solved. The difficulty level is set to easy for today, so you will all experience the same level of difficulty without having to solve the same mystery."

She walked to where Alfred was busily tapping on a screen and spoke a few words to him, he nodded, and they both went to stand before the initiates, who were lined up in rows of two.

"Please, take your seats and we shall begin," a smile was painted on her lips as she tilted her head slightly to one side, glancing at Caleb, she said, "Mr Prior?"

Caleb stood from his chair and made his way to the middle of the room where the lone chair was. Shakily, he sat, while giving a tight smile to the other initiates. Alfred walked to Caleb, serum needle in hand, and asked the 16-year-old to adjust the position of his neck. Injecting the serum into his veins, he left him half-conscious on the chair and went back to the computer to resume his typing.

Sitting on the first row of chairs and between her friends, Tris observed that Jeanine and Alfred both had injected serums into themselves as well. If only those two were able to watch the simulation, did that mean that the initiates had to sit and wait until they were all done? _It's time consuming_, thought Tris. A look at the other initiates proved that they all reached the same conclusion as Tris.

Jeanine and Alfred sat side by side before the computer, studying Caleb's simulation landscape as the boy in turn scrunched up his nose and furrowed his eyebrows.

A quarter of an hour passed, and Caleb still hadn't solved his mystery.

Tris remained in her seat, fiddling with her fingers as she peered at Jeanine who was at the other side of the room. Her eyelids were closed, so Tris couldn't see those charming gray eyes. Instead, she observed her posture, which Tris almost believed was a peaceful one. Jeanine looked as though she was slumbering… except her body looked a bit too rigid and straight…

Another ten minutes went by, and Caleb finally woke from the simulation. All around Tris, her fellow initiates all looked at him with wide eyes, silently asking him how the simulation worked.

Caleb returned to his seat with the other initiates, while Jeanine and Alfred exchanged a few words before asking for the next initiate to step up.

Tris watched as Ray sat in the chair where her brother had been sitting on for the past half an hour, she continued playing with her fingers when he entered his simulation. Beside Tris, Caleb quietly described his mystery to those who would listen. Roughly another half an hour passed found Ray awake from his simulation, and another initiate sitting in his place.

A few more came and went, and lunch time eventually arrived. The initiates left to head to the canteen block, leaving Jeanine and Alfred being the only ones in the room.

"I have been considering about having another assistant to relieve your work burden. Is there anyone you would recommend?" Jeanine asked as she analyzed the words on the computer screen, not meeting his curious eyes.

"Ms Prior is a good option, considering her IQ score…" he replied.

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" Jeanine smiled slowly.

* * *

"The quickest so far is that guy. He solved his mystery in fifteen minutes," said Ray as he nodded at one of the Erudite-born boys. The transfers had just finished their lunch and were making their way back to the room.

In the room, while everybody was taking their seats, Alfred approached Tris to inform her that she will be experiencing the simulation next. So instead of taking her seat with her brother and friends, she sat in the middle of the room and waited for Alfred to inject the serum into her veins.

Which never happened because the moment she settled down, Jeanine came walking towards her with a serum needle in hand. Expressionless, she gently forced Tris's head to another angle, brushing her hair to one side, she inserted the needle and injected the serum into Tris's neck.

Before she could be properly shocked, before her mind processed the fact that her faction leader had just done something very tender to her, the serum clouded her thoughts and she entered the simulation.

* * *

A glance around her told her that she was in a hotel lobby. She took in her surroundings – a fat lady was weeping, a man, whom Tris presumed was the fat lady's husband, patted her shoulder while comforting her, a few hotel staff were seen, and last but not least, a screen was floating in mid air, with the following words on it:

"FIND THE MISSING RING."

Those four words was all that was written on the screen. Those four words were also the trigger that clicked in Tris's head, sending her running straight for the crying fat lady.

"I lost my ring," the lady choked between sobs, her three chins wobbled, "My husband gave it to me on our wedding… And now it has been stolen…"

Quickly, Tris recognized the situation from all the fiction she had been privately reading back in Abnegation, she asked the fat lady for some information – most of them which were answered by the husband.

After collecting all the facts that she required, she took the elevator to the floor where the lady and her husband were staying and paced around the corridor, stepping harder on certain steps when all of a sudden, she stopped and turned to glance at a small door she had almost missed.

Opening the door, she found a small broom closet with musty-looking boxes stacked in the corners and several brooms slumped untidily against the walls. Unlike the hotel corridors, the closet wasn't carpeted, which briefly caused Tris's eyes to light up.

Moving all the boxes and brooms to one side, she squatted and started knocking and tapping on the floorboard, testing its hollowness until finally, she paused and bent down closer to examine one of the floorboards. Upon a closer look, she found that the floorboard had a tiny dent near the edges.

After a swift rummage of the boxes, she found a chisel laying in one of them. Using the tool, Tris removed the slightly dented floorboard from its place and, as she had expected, a diamond-studded ring was lying in the hollow space below the floorboards. She picked up the ring and the scene before her gradually dissolved and the simulation ended.

* * *

The first thing she saw as her eyes swept opened was Jeanine smirking down at her with a knowing expression. A turn of a head found her other instructor gaping at her with a surprised expression on his face, and, glancing at the other initiates, she saw that they were all staring at her as well, looking utterly shocked and curious.

"Um," she started rather shyly, "Did something happen?"

Alfred, who was standing beside her, gave a quick glance at Jeanine and seeing that their faction leader didn't look as though she was about to explain anything, he spoke. "Do you know what's the average time for this simulation in easy mode?"

She shook her head, but somehow she got a sense of what he was getting at.

"It's twenty minutes. The last time somebody achieved a time less than a quarter of that was years ago," Alfred said, peeking at the 'somebody' he just mentioned, which only gained him a steely, gray glare. "Your time is three minutes and thirty two seconds," he stated.

Tris blinked.

She admitted that she knew this was coming, but what she had not foreseen was that her time would be three and a half minutes, which was almost six times lesser than the average time.

"Okay," she murmured quietly before rejoining her fellow initiates.

Another initiate, looking obviously nervous, went up to the chair in the middle as Caleb whispered to his sister: "Was your mystery easy?"

Tris gave him a look. This _was _easy mode, wasn't it? "It was alright," she whispered back, ignoring the glances from some of the Erudite-borns.

"Details. We want details," he said, nodding at their friends, "What was your mystery like?"

So that was what Tris did. She spent the next quarter of an hour describing her mystery; the screen, apparently all the mysteries had that to give out instructions, the fat lady and her husband, how she got the information that she needed out of them, the chisel and floorboard... Caleb and the others nodded continuously. Questions such as 'How did you even know?' popped up occasionally, but Tris explained them so that her friends understood, which made her feel like a teacher.

* * *

By the time the last of the initiates were done with their simulation, it was evening and close to dinner time. As they left the room, Tris silently hoped that Jeanine would ask her to stay behind, even if it was just for a second. It would feel like eternity to her nonetheless.

She had been awfully fine with her crush on her faction leader that day. Awfully and dangerously fine. She was sure she shouldn't feel that way, but crushes tend to end quickly. It was like that for everybody, and no matter how high her IQ score was, no matter how intelligent people thought she was, she was still human and crushes _always_ go away.

So why not enjoy a bit of a fall?

Tris never had a boyfriend before; and in this case, she has never had a girlfriend either. The last time she had a crush was years and years ago, when she was in school and a boy in class was cute and charming. And also Erudite.

Was she sapiosexual? Would she forever be falling for people with great minds? She doubted that. Forever was an interesting concept, butnothing, absolutely _nothing_ was forever, so that concept was never accepted by Tris. It was illogical, simple as that.

Tris never liked illogical things. Love was illogical, but Jeanine wasn't.

* * *

_The fool has to wake up one day_

_The fool woke up today_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Here are some questions I would like you to answer (if you are going to review, anyway):  
#1 Any songs that fit your Trinine headcanon?  
#2 Are the characters OOC?  
#3 Which OC initiate do you favor the most?  
#4 Any type of cute moments that you want to see in this fic?  
#5 Do you want a detailed war? (I am very, very bad at action stuff; I'm sure I would only ruin the fic if I wrote the war with all the details.)**

**The last two italic lines weren't from song lyrics (unlike the other chapters). I quoted it from a friend, so credits to him.**

**As always, thank you for reading! :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**

**My chapters aren't getting any longer, are they... This chapter (if I had to be truthful) is more of a filler. So pardon me if you find this dull.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Once Upon A Time I have mentioned in this chapter. (Nor do I own Tris or Jeanine, sadly.)**

**Credits to my Beta, Your Fellow Conspirator.**

* * *

Day two of their second stage started with Tris waking up at six in the morning. The window beside her bed was unclosed, which allowed a cool breeze to momentarily caress her face as she turned under her sheets, debating whether she should get out of the comfort of her bed or remain where she was until her friends woke.

It took her some time weighing the pros and cons of both choices, so by the time she decided to stay in bed, the sun was gradually rising and shining their city. As the sun rays poured in, a few of the transfers started to stir from their sleep, causing Tris to, although unwillingly, force herself out of her bed and prepare herself for the day.

Grabbing her clothes, she headed to the bathroom to wash up and dress. When she returned to the main part of their dormitory, the others were already awake. Some murmured tired 'good morning's, some yawned, and some stretched. Ray, however, laid face down in his pillow, denying all attempts at rousing him, even when one of his friends tempted him with the idea of food.

"I'm not hungry," he said, not even bothering to open his eyelids.

The other five transfers sighed, rolling their eyes. Ray would _have_ to show up at the canteen block eventually – it was just a matter of time. He would eat even if his stomach was bloated, and judging by the hours they were about to spend on their initiation that day, he had no reason not to fill himself up. So Tris, after waiting for her friends to dress, headed to breakfast with a rather unusual feeling fueling her inside.

At the table, Joshua plumped down beside Tris with his plate and spoke almost immediately: "Let's build some excitement, shall we?" his typical cheerful smile etched on his face, "Yesterday's easy mode was okay, but today is going to be medium mode, and I Candorly cannot wait to see what our mysteries will be."

"Candorly?" one of them asked.

"Honestly," Sophie mumbled, giving him unimpressed look, "Bad pun."

"Aren't you guys excited about today's mystery at all?" Joshua asked. Seeing that most of them shook their heads, he said: "If bets were on, I would place everything I have on Tris. She is bound to get best time again today."

"You overestimate me," Tris said as a reply.

"As if," he scoffed, "Where's Ray, anyway? Still sleeping?"

"I can't think of a word that perfectly describes Ray's laziness," Sophie muttered under her breath.

"Hibernation," Tris stated simply, forking some bacon into her mouth. The group stared blankly at her for some time, and, as if on cue, they all burst out laughing.

* * *

Roughly five minutes before eight, Tris and her friends finally gave up on waiting for their 'hibernating' friend and decided to head to the room where they were required to gather in. Much to their surprise, Ray was already in his seat when they entered – Tris noticed that a suspicious smell of cooked meat surrounded the air around him as she sat beside him.

"Ms Prior, would you like to start first?" Jeanine said as she walked pass Tris, smile tugging at her lips.

Tris was quiet as she made her way to the chair in the middle of the room. Sitting down, she wondered why Jeanine called her by her last name instead of her first name, like the last few times...had she done something wrong? Perhaps this was just a slight shift in their developing relationship.

"Today's simulation is a bit harder, so here's a hint for all of you: The simulation has something – no matter what way – to do with fairy tales."

Alfred soon came to stand beside her with a vial of the same serum from yesterday and injected it into her, allowing her to slowly close her eyes and fall into the simulation.

* * *

When her eyes snapped open, it was with her back on the floor and both hands trying to grab something – anything – close to her. Propping herself on one arm, she found that her simulation was set in an enormous mansion. Seemingly unaware of her lavish surroundings, Tris placed herself on both feet, and, turning around, she saw a screen floating right there as she had thought it would be.

Like the last time, the screen only wrote a few words as an instruction; the only words on it were 'FIND THE VILLAIN'.

Tris wasn't sure what she had expected. It _was _a fairy tale, after all, and all fairy tales had villains... Remembering the clue Jeanine Matthews had given before she entered the simulation, she scanned her surrounding and realized that her mystery was set in a fictional world – one that she had always, despite her ultimate despise for illogical things and beings, admired – the world of Once Upon A Time.

She was utterly shocked. Was this merely a twist of fate, or did the person who prepared this mystery know that she was a lover of the once-popular television series? If the person who made this mystery was Alfred, Tris would have no doubt that it was pure coincidence, but if it was Jeanine, though…

Pulling herself out of her own mind, she re-read the words on the screen. Find the villain… _the villain_…

That would be Regina Mills, would it not? In the series, Regina was the Evil Queen, Tris was sure that her memory hadn't failed her just yet.

Noticing that a door was to her left, she pushed it open and stepped into the well-furnished living room where, right beside the couch, stood two familiar woman, one blond with a frown upon her lips, the other with jet black hair and a slightly disgusted look etched upon her face.

"Miss Swan, I hope it hasn't escaped your notice that Henry is _my_ son."

"Regina, I – " the blonde started but stopped as soon as she caught sight of Tris half-hiding behind a door, " – never knew that you had a daughter as well," she laughed.

The moment Regina turned to look at Tris was the moment Tris felt her eyes blur. Their dark pupils met momentarily, catching them both off balance. Becoming aware that the simulation was about to end because she had literally _found _the villain, Tris gulped, feeling a lump of sorrow building where a man's Adam apple would be.

Regina wasn't a villain. Not really, she was a person at heart, just like them all, caught between doing what she desired and what was...right, or was it the other way around? But what was that one line she used to say?… _Always the villain, even when I'm not_.

* * *

Waking from the darkness, Tris's shot open as she sucked in a deep breath of air. She was back in the chair placed in the center of the room, where all her fellow initiates and instructors stared wide-eyed at her.

"Ms Prior, I honestly have no words for your result…" Alfred whispered quietly as he made way to stand before her, "Your time for easy mode was astonishing as it is, but this…"

"How long was I in the simulation?" Tris asked directly, wringing her sweaty hands. This felt wrong somehow, the mission felt uncompleted.

"One and a half minutes."

Upon hearing those five words, Tris's pupils contracted somewhat even more than all the others'. Blinking, she returned to her seat beside Ray, who, along with their group, asked her whatever happened in the simulation, which gained them no answers except a shake of the head..._whether she wanted to be, she would always remain a villain in another's eyes. _

After a few more initiates had been called up to solve their mysteries, Tris decided to shake off the shock and practised living in reality. Glancing at her faction leader, whose features remained emotionless, she wondered if Jeanine had been surprised as well. She wouldn't show it, but perhaps… perhaps inside, she was equally astounded as the others were. Of course, there was the chance of her doing much better than Tris in that simulation.

After lunch came and went, they returned to room and continued with their mystery-solving. Before dinner, during the time where the initiates were dismissed for the day, Jeanine allowed a slight sheen of a smirk to show as she approached Tris.

"How?"

"Your hint was rather helpful, I suppose, Ms Matthews," Tris shrugged, ignoring the bubbling excitement in her nerves.

"Was it? Was it really?" Jeanine whispered softly as she went by Tris and out of the room, leaving the said girl standing where she was, blinking at a rate that went beyond usual as she figured out what in the world had just happened.

'But Regina isn't just a villain...' began Tris to herself, she never felt this silly before, talking to thin air. _Was she though? _

Outside the sun sank in a crimson pool of blood into the dusty horizon. The gates weren't open, not yet...

* * *

_One day when the light is glowing_

_I'll be in my castle golden_

_But until the gates are open_

_I just wanna feel this moment_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Okay, Divergent was set in a faraway future (if I'm not mistaken), so I'm sure Tris would (somehow) come across a few old fairy tales such as Snow White. I mean, come on...**

**Also: I am running out of ideas for this fic. I've started this fic because of a request, and I honestly had no idea that there were so much Trinine shippers. So please, ideas?**

**Thanks for reading, you are all so precious :)**

**PS: I am obsessing over Once Upon A Time (and also Regina x Emma). To that person who reviewed saying that Jeanine calling Tris 'dear' reminded you of Regina, FINALLY. SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS. DO YOU SHIP? CAN WE TALK? (I've gone mad again, haven't I.)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:**

**Credits I'm giving out:  
\- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  
\- My Betas (Your Fellow Conspirator &amp; KarolMarques)  
\- My dearest sister**

**Enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

Caleb flipped and turned under his covers, not bothering to be any quieter than he was. It was a little after midnight, and considering that they had all went to bed an hour ago, Caleb was fairly surprised when he realized that someone in the room besides himself was still awake. He changed his sleeping position once more, putting all his weight on one arm. A glance at his sister's bed told him that she was the other person who hasn't slept yet.

"Tris," he whispered, controlling his voice so that the others wouldn't be disturbed. He saw his sister freeze momentarily, but after a second she turned to face him.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?" he asked, even though he knew what her answer will be. It was an actual fact to say that all human beings ask such pointless questions although they already know the type of reply they would gain. So why ask? Most people would say that it is to confirm whatever answers they had in mind. But was it really so? Caleb thought. Or was it just to provide oneself the comfort they crave?

"Yes, I'm fine."

Caleb asked no more questions. After some moments, when the shifting and turning from Tris's bed finally stopped, he sighed and, for the first time since that fateful day, he wondered how their parents were doing ever since he and Tris left them.

_Left_. What a strong word.

He left them, but he was so sure he made the right choice. Staying in a faction where he had no freedom at all to express himself was devastating. He simply could not imagine a future or a life in Abnegation where he had to repeatedly do the same things every single day. Give, help, be nice. It felt wrong to be someone he wasn't. Putting on a fake smile everyday… He wondered if that was how Tris had felt as well. She never seemed to be happy when they were still in Abnegation; she always spaced out, helping others was more of a duty than instinct to her, all her smiles were tight and anyone would know it was forced upon her lips.

All of a sudden, a rush of passion came upon him – like a fire roaring wildly in his chest, like the sea and their ultimate force and power, like tornadoes and their eerily beautiful wrath - and Caleb felt the need to protect his sister, no matter physically or emotionally. Did all the older brothers in the world feel like that too? He was sure that it was an act controlled by human instinct, but did all siblings feel the need to protect one another?

Caleb thought of the twins sleeping at the opposite side of the room – August and Sophie – who frequently bickered. They could argue over matters that were barely important, but the next day at breakfast, they would act as though the fight never occurred and get along happily.

He rarely had disagreements with Tris. It simply wasn't what Abnegations would do.

But they weren't Abnegations now. They were Erudites – or, well, as soon as they get through the rest of their initiation – they can argue, love, and act like themselves so much as they wished.

Caleb, still under his covers, silently swore that from that day onwards, he would fulfill his duty as a brother – he would talk to Tris more, he would learn more things about her, he would know her like a brother should. He promised himself that he would care for her, be by her side, especially when she was at her lowest moments. And if any of her secrets were known – everybody has secrets they wished remained hidden forever – he would never, _never_ stand against her.

* * *

When she stepped into the simulation room, Tris noticed a difference – Jeanine wasn't there yet. Taking her seat at the right hand corner of the rows of chairs, she waited for the rest of the initiates to file in. She shouldn't be that surprised, but when Caleb sat beside her, she blinked a bit more than needed. The relationship between the two of them weren't as tight as the other siblings, so this sudden closeness was, naturally, out of the ordinary for Tris.

As she chatted with Caleb, Tris realized that judging by the situation and the look on Alfred's face, Jeanine won't be joining their initiation for the day.

It was useless to deny the truth – Tris was disappointed.

Tris sat lower in her seat, her shoulders drooped slightly like ice-cream slowly melting off a deflated cone in the heat of the blazing sun.

Without saying a word, Alfred signaled Caleb to the middle of the room where a chair was placed once more. Caleb sat down, tilting his head to one side to make it easier for Alfred to inject the serum. Tris watched as her brother slowly closed his eyes the way she always would, and fall into the simulation.

When the first quarter of an hour passed, Tris tried to persuade herself that it wouldn't take too long for him to complete his simulation, even if it was set difficult. But when more time had went by and murmurs started to rise, she was sure that her legs would be numb – if not paralyzed – by the time all thirteen of them were finished.

It took Caleb roughly an hour for him to solve the mystery. When he woke, Alfred asked half of the initiates to enter the room beside theirs, where he explained that Jeanine would be there to save time. Receiving permission to leave, Caleb wished his sister and friends good luck before leaving for the library.

The transfers, along with Joshua, made their way to the next room – a decision which Tris fully approved of. She subconsciously placed her hand over her heart and left it there, listening to the pounding chorus playing within her ribcage.

The other room was similar to the previous one – there were two rows of chairs by one of the four walls, a chair placed in the middle, and devices where Jeanine stood behind, tapping for a while before acknowledging the initiates. Her usual for-show smile was on when as she called one of them up one by one.

For hours and hours, all Tris did was sit as she waited and waited, hating that her legs were feeling awfully numb and yet loving the idea that she might be the last one to go. Her friends all gave them tight and tired smirks when they found that Tris and Joshua – the last two - were trying to stretch their legs without standing up. Sophie, just before she walked out of the door, reminded them that they were supposed to gather and meet at the library after they have finished their simulation. The two of them nodded, both turning around when they heard their faction leader calling Joshua's name.

The boy stood, his legs shaking slightly under him as he went to sit in the middle of the room. Just before he was injected with the serum, he locked eyes with Tris for a moment and shrugged, his typical goofy grin getting the best of him.

Tris watched him shut his eyes, watched him drown into the simulation, watched his facial expression change, waited another hour or so and finally saw his eyes snap open, a look of uncharacteristic terror on his sharp face. His eyes were wide as he sat up, propping himself up with his arms. It was only then did Tris realize that his forehead was covered with a layer of sweat and the spot below his eye bags had a few droplets of either sweat or tears. He stood, dragging his feet to the door. Right before he stepped out of the room, he turned his head to look into Tris's eyes with a hollow stare, and although the latter was never any good at eye-reading, she understood what he had to tell her almost immediately.

Jeanine was adding fear into the simulation.

* * *

There was no screen in sight when she woke. She hadn't seen any instruction when she stood and patted the dirt and dust off her clothes. She observed her surroundings, and quickly deduced that her mystery was set in the 19th century. Tris glanced around, searching for any clue that might help her solve the first part of her mystery: What were her instructions?

Was this a part of her mystery too? Because surely the person who created this mystery could have given her a little push at the start.

Walking along the sidewalk where people rushed here and there, Tris wondered if either Alfred or Jeanine had given them any hints at all before simulation – like the last time – when suddenly, her ears heard two men talking with lowered voices. Of course, the 'lowered voices' part had already conjured up her curiosity. That was how Tris ended up following the two men as they spoke of an incident which Tris simply assumed was her goal in this mystery.

"Silver Blaze," said the taller of the two, "is from the Isonomy stock, and holds as brilliant a record as his famous ancestor. He is now in his fifth year, and has brought in turn each of the prizes of the turf to Colonel Ross, his fortunate owner. Up to the time of the catastrophe he was the first favorite for the Wessex Cup, the betting being three to one on him. He has always, however, been a prime favorite with the racing public, and has never yet disappointed them, so that even at short odds enormous sums of money have been laid upon him. It is obvious, therefore, that there were many people who had the strongest interest in preventing Silver Blaze from being there at the fall of the flag next Tuesday."

"The fact was, of course, appreciated at King's Pyland, where the colonel's training stable is situated. Every precaution was taken to guard the horse. The trainer, John Straker, is a retired jockey, who rode in Colonel Ross's colors before he became too heavy for the weighing chair. He served the colonel for five years as jockey, and seven as trainer, and has always shown himself to be a zealous and honest servant. Under him were three lads, for the establishment was a small one, containing only four horses in all. One of these lads sat up each night in the stable, while the others slept in the loft. All three bore excellent characters. John Straker, who is a married man, lives in a small villa about two hundred yards from the stables. He has no children of his own, keeps one maid-servant, and is comfortably off. The country round is very lonely, but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villas which have been built by a Tavistock contractor for the use of invalids. Tavistock itself lies two miles to the west, while across the moor, about two miles distant, is the larger training establishment of Capleton, which belongs to Lord Blackwater, and is managed by Silas Brown. In every other direction the moor is a complete wilderness, inhabited only by a few roaming gipsies. Such was the general situation last Monday night, when the catastrophe occurred."

Here, the man paused his talking to puff at his cigar, allowing Tris to wonder if the said horse was missing and her mystery's end would require her to find it. Her thoughts and suspicion were soon confirmed:

"On that evening the horses had been exercised and fed as usual, and the stables were locked up at nine o'clock. Two of the lads walked up to the trainer's house, where they had supper in the kitchen, while the third, Ned Hunter, remained on guard. At a few minutes after nine the maid, Edith Baxter, carried down to the stables his supper, which consisted of a dish of curried mutton. She took no liquid, as there was a water-tap in the stables, and it was the rule that the lad on duty should drink nothing else. The maid carried a lantern with her, as it was very dark, and the path ran across the open moor."

For a few more moments, Tris listened to the man as he spoke to his companion and tried to gather the important facts and information: When the maid was within thirty yards of the stables, a man appeared out of the darkness and called to her to stop. His clothing was as a gentleman's, and he had carried a heavy stick with a knob to it. He bribed the maid into giving the stable boy a piece of white paper which he produced from his waistcoat pocket. The girl was frightened by the earnestness of his manner, and ran past him to the window through which she was accustomed to hand the meals. It was already opened and Hunter was seated at the small table inside. She had begun to tell him of what had happened, when the stranger came up again.

"'Good evening,' said he, looking through the window, 'I wanted to have a word with you.'"

"'What business have you here?' asked the lad."

"'It's business that may put something into your pocket,' said the stranger. 'You've two horses in for the Wessex Cup – Silver Blaze and Bayard. Let me have the straight tip, and you won't be a loser. Is it a fact that at the weights Bayard could give the other a hundred yards in five furlongs, and that the stable have out their money on him?'"

"'So you're one of those damned touts!' cried the lad. 'I'll show you how we serve them in King's Pyland!' He sprang up and rushed across the stable to unloose the dog. The maid fled away to the house, but a she ran she looked back and saw that the stranger was leaning through the window. A minute later, however, when Hunter rushed out with the hound he was gone, and though the lad ran all round the buildings he failed to find any trace of him."

"The lad, I may add, locked the door before he left it. After that, he waited for his fellow grooms to return and sent a message to the trainer and told him what had happened. Straker was excited at hearing the account, although he did not seem to have quite realized its true significance at the time."

"At one in the morning, Mrs Straker woke to the noise of her husband dressing. In reply to her inquiries, he said that he could not sleep on account of his anxiety about the horses, and that he intended to walk down to the stables to see that all was well. Mrs Straker awoke at seven in the morning to find that her husband had not yet returned. When she called the maid and set off for the stables, the door was open and inside, Hunter was sunk in a state of absolute stupor, Silver Blaze's stall was empty, and there were no signs of his trainer. The other lads were quickly roused. They had heard nothing during the night, for they are both sound sleepers. Hunter was obviously under the influence of some powerful drug; and, as no sense could be got out of him, he was left to sleep it off while the two lads and the two women ran out in search of the absentees."

"About a quarter of a mile from the stables, John Straker's overcoat was flapping from a furze bush. Immediately beyond there was a bowl-shaped depression in the moor, and at the bottom of this was found the dead body of the unfortunate trainer. His head had been shattered by a savage blow from some heavy weapon, and he was wounded on the thigh, where there was a long, clean cut, inflicted evidently by some very sharp instrument. It was clear, however, that Straker had defended himself vigorously against his assailants, for in his right hand he held a small knife, which was clotted with blood up to the handle, while in his left he clasped a red and black silk cravat, which was recognized by the maid as having been worn on the preceding evening by the stranger who had visited the stables."

"Hunter, on recovering from his stupor, was also quite positive as to the ownership of the cravat. He was equally certain that the same stranger had, while standing at the window, drugged his curried mutton, and so deprived the stables of their watchman. As to the missing horse, there were abundant proofs in the mud which lay at the bottom of the fatal hollow that he had been there at the time of the struggle."

When he was done talking, the man puffed at his cigar and, after a minute or two, he turned, looking straight at Tris, a laugh stirring in his watery gray eyes.

Tris stopped immediately in her tracks, staring back at the man, she pushed all her emotions to the back of her mind and instead put on a mask of ice - a mixture of professionalism and sharpness which she never knew she could fake. The gray in his eyes were almost the shade of a certain somebody's, except lighter, brighter, and although Tris could see intelligence in them the way she saw it in Jeanine's eyes, the man's lack something that only Jeanine possessed – something Tris couldn't quite put her finger on.

"You have been listening for quite some time now, my lady,"said the man, "I have been informed that help would be sent to me for this case, I presume that they have sent you?"

Tris nodded, even though she had no idea who 'they' were. This is all part of the simulation, she told herself. She just had to solve the mystery – find the horse, return it to Colonel Ross, and identify the murderer – and she would wake from the simulation...hopefully to that special ''someone'.

_Easy job_, said a part of her mind. _Not really_, said the other. _Shut up, _she thought to both parts.

The man gestured her to follow him, and they wound up at a shabby restaurant where half the place was cramped with customers. Tris sat with the man and his companion at a table, after waiting for the two to place their orders, she asked the man for more specific details of the case, and what was she to do.

Sipping his coffee, the man told Tris that their job was to arrest the assailants – or, in this case, assailant – and return Silver Blaze to its owner, the colonel, which proved Tris correct when she guessed at the purpose just now.

"An inspector who is also working on this case has arrested the man upon whom suspicion naturally rested. He goes by the name Fitzroy Simpson, and was a man of excellent birth and education, who had squandered a fortune upon the turf, and who lived now by doing a little quiet and genteel bookmaking. An examination of his betting-book shows that bets to the amount of five thousand pounds had been registered by him against our dear horse."

"On being arrested he volunteered the statement that he had come down to Dartmoor in the hope of getting some information about the King's Pyland horses, and also about Desborough, the second favorite, which was in charge of Silas Brown at the Capleton stables. His wet clothing showed that he had been out in the storm of the night before, and his stick, which was a Penang lawyer, weighted with lead, was just such a weapon as might, by repeated blows, have inflicted the terrible injuries to which the trainer had succumbed. On the other hand, there was no wound upon his person, while the state of Straker's knife would show that one, at least, of his assailants must bear his mark upon him."

Here he stopped, letting Tris ponder over the whole matter in her head.

_If this Fitzroy Simpson man murdered the trainer, then where did the horse go? Surely the horse, a well-known and loved one, would have been seen by somebody. Unless, of course, another party hid the horse. If so, then the question would be: Was Simpson on the same side as the third party, or did they take actions separately?_

Tris looked up at the man sitting opposite her, and slowly, she opened her lips, letting her theory form into words, spilling out like a wave coming to shore.

* * *

Jeanine smirked as she watched Tris explain her theory to the two men. It had only been fifteen minutes since her simulation started. At this rate, Tris would solve the mystery in record time.

_Record time._

Jeanine was sure that she should be proud of the girl for scoring a time like that, but she wasn't for some reason, because her time proved that _she_ could do better. She wriggled her fingers, she was forming her own theory of the complicated specimen that was Tris Prior.

* * *

_Like a star burning bright_

_Lighting every darkest night_

_I'll shine_

_Shine your way_

* * *

**A/N:**

**This chapter ended in the middle of Tris's simulation simply because if I kept on rambling, the word count would hit 10,000. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but I promise you that the next chapter will be better (and perhaps worth it).**

**As always, thank you for reading :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:**

**This chapter is extremely short - and so I apologize. I broke my arm yesterday, and typing with my left hand isn't exactly easy.**

**Credits to my Beta; Your Fellow Conspirator and KarolMarques.**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

"The knife you've found, what type is it?" Tris asked with both hands folded under her chin, supporting her head as she leaned closer to the men on the other side of the restaurant table, she vaguely remembered a certain someone doing the exact same to her.

"A cataract knife. A very delicate blade devised for very delicate work. A strange thing for a man to carry with him upon a rough expedition, especially as it would not shut in his pocket," the man answered her with a smile tugging at his lips, much like her crush.

"If, my dear sir, the knife is not made for rough work, then perhaps you should check the dead man's body to see if there are any missing parts, no matter how small. If there are none, then surely the blood isn't the blood of My Fitzroy Simpson, and it certainly wouldn't be that of the dead man either. So that leaves us with the only other person at the scene of the crime – the horse."

Here, the man positively beamed. "Pray, continue."

"It is possible to make a slight nick upon the tendons of a horse's ham, and to do it subcutaneously so as to leave absolutely no trace. A horse so treated would develop a slight lameness which would be put down to a strain in exercise or a touch of rheumatism. If the blood on the knife belongs to the horse, then the questions we have left are 'who killed John Straker' and 'where is the horse'. As to the first question, I strongly believe that it is the horse."

Both men, who sat opposite Tris at the moment, had their eyes widened with surprise. "The horse!" they exclaimed.

"Yes, Silver Blaze, the horse. The reason a crime is acted upon someone is because another would benefit from it. Who, in this case, would benefit if the favorite horse is out of the race? The second favorite would surely win if the first is away. That leaves us with the obvious answer: Lord Blackwater, owner of Desborough – as you have mentioned earlier."

Tris's answer evidently impressed the men. "And the other question? What about it?"

"I suggest you pay Lord Blackwater's stables a visit, I believe Silver Blaze should be about there somewhere."

Tris smiled softly as the two men stood from their chairs eagerly, thanking her for the theory and advice. Just as she was about to follow them out of the restaurant, the scenario before her slowly began to blur and she knew that her simulation was over. She closed her eyes, and the scene faded into blackness.

* * *

"Congratulations." Tris heard it before she saw the owner of the voice.

Her eyes fluttered open. Sitting up, she turned to see Jeanine not standing beside her chair, but at the computer where she tapped buttons on a screen, a smile touching the corners of her mouth.

"13 minutes and 14 seconds," said Jeanine, eyes leaving the screen gradually and turning to glance at Tris, "is an excellent time. You have done a good job, dear. Have you given any thoughts concerning the type of job you wish to pick after the initiation?"

Tris, who just seconds ago stood from her seat, hesitated as she debated with herself. "I've been told that if you are truly hiring another assistant, I would be a suitable candidate." She finished quickly, trying to sound as humble as possible when she repeated what Joshua had told her a few days ago while they were dining with the rest, though her body seemed to be tingling with a extra dose of adrenaline.

"So you've heard," Jeanine stepped closer to the only other person in the room, a smile cool to the brim pulling at her lips as she leaned in closer to her and whispered in a tone that slightly resembled huskiness: "Then I will lay down this proposition only once: Will you take up the responsibility of being my assistant?" Jeanine said this with excitement shimmering in and out of her gray eyes.

The heart in her chest pounded wildly. Not only that the distance between were much too easy to close, but there was a hint of something – emotion, hopefully – in her voice when she spoke.

_"Yes."_

* * *

"No use crying over spilt milk," Caleb said to his sister when they left the library to head to dinner.

"This isn't exactly spilt milk, is it?" Tris murmured, wondering what made her tell her brother and friends that she took the job so early.

"You're certainly looking the crying part," Joshua laughed, "Cheer up. You got the best job in our faction – don't complain. I told you, all you need to do is look through some papers and help out with initiation."

"Ms Matthews has yet to tell me what you've just said," said Tris quietly as they stepped into the canteen block, "So I'm not entirely sure about this."

In truth, she was probably the most confused person on earth. She had no idea what she was thinking when she accepted the job; she doubted that she was even putting her brain to use. As it happens, she can't fully control herself when Jeanine Matthews was around – and now she has to spend at least a few years as her assistant, which meant that they would have to meet at least once each day. They were about to spend _a lot_ of time together…

"Tris? Are you alright?" her brother asked, a look of concern plastered on his face, but nonetheless a slight hint of a genuine worry mingling his tone.

"You've been asking that question a great deal lately," Tris chuckled in response.

"That's because you keep spacing out these days," said Caleb, scrunching his eyebrows together. He isn't doing very well at getting to know his own sister, but he simply couldn't think of another method to be close to her. "Salad?" he smiled weakly, gesturing to the food laden table.

* * *

_If we ever give up_

_Then I'm gonna die_

_Look me in the eye_

_Baby don't lie_

* * *

**A/N:**

**I hope it's not too awful... Thanks for reading :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:**

**Here's Chapter 14!**

**Credits: Your Fellow Conspirator &amp; KarolMarques.**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Part One of the second stage of initiation ended just as everybody had expected – Tris topping the list. She still received congratulations from her friends and fellow initiates, but some of them felt rather… reluctant; and she wasn't sure if she liked that or not. In fact, she wasn't sure if she liked a lot of things. Take feelings for an example, she loved and hated the one she felt when Jeanine walked by; her insides would fly up and rise to a point near her throat, all the muscles in her body would tense and knot themselves until the only thing she could do was stay rooted on the spot, then her insides would suddenly fall back into place and she's forced to pretend that nothing of the sort had happened.

That was how the second part of Stage Two began for Tris. She stepped into the room with the other initiates, felt her insides flip and turn and twist and finally settle down when a certain pair of gray eyes shot through the air and met her blue ones, pulled a straight face and took her seat.

When they were all seated, Jeanine explained the instructions for Part Two, and their actions quickly resolved into a pattern – Alfred would sit behind a computer and generate a hologram of a person, Jeanine would call someone from the group of initiates to observe the hologram, the initiate will then list out the history of the hologram-person based on their characteristics, a score will appear above the hologram showing their results, and everything repeats itself again.

Of course, that was barely a challenge for Tris, considering all she had to do was observe and deduce – one thing she was fairly talented at.

* * *

Two days passed with the same routine. Tris woke, had breakfast, went to initiation, tried to be as calm as possible when seeing Jeanine Matthews, had lunch, tried not to show any of her excitement concerning her new-found job, have dinner, go to bed, think about her future, fall asleep, exhausted.

It was all deemed normal until the last day of initiation. That night, the initiates finished their dinner quicker than the past few days and headed back to their dormitory. It was the last time they would ever stay in that room. A heavy and uncomfortable silence filled the room, and the only sound heard was the padding of feet against the marble floor along with the wind outside the window howling like wolves set free to bound through the night.

"Are we ever going to talk about this?" said Ray, who stopped his pacing around the room as he glanced at his friends, all sitting or lying in their bed nervously.

"Right. Because everybody just _wants _to talk about their risk at being eliminated," Sophie said, her usual sarcasm dripping down on every word as she sat up in her bed, hazel eyes glaring at Ray in annoyance, in an even grumpier mood than usual.

"You aren't even close to being kicked out. What are you so worried about?"

Hiding behind an open book that was propped up on her knees, Tris listened to her friends bicker. She hugged her legs closer to her chest, pretending to read. Tomorrow was the day where some of the initiates would be eliminated, and though Tris had been assured that she won't end up factionless, she couldn't help but feel worried for the others, so many friendships had formed during their short time here, it already felt every bit like home.

She didn't want to think about who wouldn't make it. Having friends was something she never got a chance to do until recently, and now, realizing that at least one of them was about to become factionless, her heart broke a bit.

"Sophie, stop, _think_," August said all of a sudden, "I'm sure whoever's going to be eliminated has been decided already, so what is endless arguing going to bring us? Nothing."

Tris heard Sophie sigh. After a moment, she looked at her brother and said, "I just have a really bad feeling about all this,"she turned away, shaking her head.

The room returned to its previous silence, only this time it was much more bearable. Tris peeked up from behind her book and saw nervous looks plastered on everybody's faces. For a few moments she sat there wondering if she should say something; the twins looked as though they were about to collapse against each other and sob their hearts out, Ray took to lying on the floor on his sides, drawing circles with his finger, Caleb and Emily sat on their beds respectively, both lost in thought as they stared at some invisible spot beyond their sight.

Right when Tris decided to remain quiet and focus on her book, a knock made way to their ears and the door to their dormitory opened, revealing a rather flustered Alfred standing in the doorway. All heads looked up to see the man step in, dark green eyes so wide one might think he just survived a zombie apocalypse.

He glanced around the room, finally spotting Tris in the comfort of her bed, he walked towards her and stopped beside the bed. "Ms Matthews wants a word with you in her office. It's about your job."

She was as surprised as the other initiates. Hell, she was _shocked_. How could anybody not be when their crush asks to see them at ten when the moon still high?

Nodding, she made her way out of the dormitory, plastering a mask of calmness on her face as she walked in the direction of their faction leader's office, heart threatening to burst out of joy, feet shaking from giddiness, and biting down on her own lip so hard it looked as though she might draw blood.

_Don't do anything stupid,_ she told herself inwardly, trying to convince her body that not inhaling any air won't do any good.

* * *

Back in the transfers' dormitory, just as Alfred left the room after wishing them a good night, the following conversation occurred:

"Let's go take a walk around the compound," said Ray, grinning ear to ear.

"Uh, I'm not overly fond of risking my future faction status, especially at a time like this," said August.

"Weren't you the one who said that whoever's going to be eliminated has been decided already?" Sophie said, mischievous smile tugging at her lips as she shared a look with Ray.

"Yes, but – "

"Put your shoes on, then."

Realizing what was about to happen, Caleb opened his lips, trying to protest but no words came out. He glanced at Emily, who hasn't said anything since dinner, which made him feel even worse when the girl shrugged, smiled, and went to get her footwear.

Sighing both loudly outwardly and inwardly, he shook his head and wondered with all seriousness why they were about to stalk on his own sister.

"We can be so immature sometimes," Sophie murmured under her breath, that smile still playing on her face.

"I fully agree," Ray chuckled.

As his laughter ceased, a small moment of silence came and August, with his eyes narrowed, said: "Sophie… Are you guys dating?"

* * *

_But if you close your eyes_

_Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all_

_And if you close your eyes_

_Does it almost feel like you've been here before_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Things will be accelerating after this chapter. How do you think Caleb will react when he finds out about Tris's feelings for Jeanine?**

**Once again, thanks for reading :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:**

**Here is Chapter 15 for you all, and once again I appologize for delaying this a couple of days.**

**Credits to my dearest Betas, Your Fellow Conspirator &amp; KarolMarques.**

* * *

Tris stood before the door to the faction leader's office, heart thudding furiously against her chest as she raised her hand, ready to knock. There were lights pouring out through the gap under the door, and a shadow of a figure who seemed to be pacing the room showed every now and then. Gathering her sudden rush of boldness, her balled-up fist knocked on the door, which gained her an almost immediate reply: "Enter."

She pushed the door open, all sorts of emotions bundled up inside of her when she stepped inside the office, which looked as though nothing was out of place compared to her last visit here. The sudden brightness of the room blinded her for a second, but when her eyes gained focus on the view before her, she saw the woman in blue clothing glowing through all the white and smiling at her, gray eyes looking rather dark as they beckoned her to her seat.

Taking her seat opposite the other woman at the small coffee table, Tris tried to look calm and collected, in which she ultimately failed as she watched Jeanine bend over to pour cups of tea for both of them, her own hands shaking slightly.

"I'm sure you already know why you're here," said Jeanine, pushing one of the cups towards Tris, her fingers lingering reluctantly.

"My job."

"Here are the details," she handed Tris the papers on the coffee table, perfecting her show-smile as she leaned into her own chair, watching the other soon-to-be Erudite scan the papers quietly.

She watched her fidget in her seat every now and then, ears blushing red without her doing anything at all; and she had to admit, she was enjoying the moment more than she should.

"Uncomfortable?" asked Jeanine, a teasing smile hooking the corners of her lips up.

"No, no. No, of course not," Tris stammered, trying hard to take control over the hormones coarsing excitedly through her veins while inwardly scolding herself for being a terrible flirt. She forced her neck to bend down, focusing on the papers in her hands instead of succumbing to the sight of those stormy gray eyes staring intensely at her, laughter and humor flickering on and off within them like a flame threatening to burn the heart out of her.

To be candid, Tris wouldn't mind one bit if her heart was burnt out of her body by those scorching eyes. Her thoughts shouldn't be as bold and confident as they were, but the tingling of her nerves and senses told her that her frame was being observed slicky down, from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet, including all her curves and bends and –.

"Tell me something, dear," Jeanine said casually on the other side of the table, interrupting Tris's train of thoughts, "What's your favourite color?"

Tris's head snapped up right after those very words made their way to her ears.

Did she find out already? Tris panicked. Her insides churned, every organ clashing into each other, senses bursting, nerves tingling, she pondered whether she should speak the truth or simply come up with a convenient lie.

"Why do you ask?" she said instead of answering the question aimed at her, gulping hard as she tried to calm the emotions vibrating in her voice, threatening to give herself away.

"I am simply curious…" the other woman smiled fondly at her, eyebrows at an adorable level as her head tilted to one side.

_Of course she is._

"Blue," she lied, daring herself to stare into those mesmerising eyes as her own pair widened and her palms sweated nervously. Across the coffee table, gray eyes sparked with amusement as its owner patiently waited for the rest of the night to unfold.

* * *

Outside the building where the Jeanine Matthews's office was, Caleb and his friends stood in the chilly night air, eyes narrowed as they watched Tris talk to their faction leader. They had to stand at a distance to be able to see the inside of the room, and since the office had walls made of glass, it was fairly easy to get a peek of what was happening inside.

Speaking truthfully, Caleb didn't like the situation he was in very much. He was risking his future, even if the others assured him otherwise, plus, he was cold.

They had been standing and staring for about a quarter of an hour when suddenly, right after a strong gust of wind passed by, Ray spoke rather loudly: "They look like they're flirting."

Caleb was the first to turn and glare at him. "_What?_" he demanded slowly.

"Your dearest sister looks as though she's flirting with our faction leader, Caleb," Ray stated plainly, "And vice versa."

"No, that would never happen – " Caleb's head snapped back to the office where he saw that the boy beside him wasn't joking. There was his sister, by the door with Jeanine Matthews, leaning into each other, lips almost touching when the latter pulled away all of a sudden and dismissed her. Caleb let his eyes to grow bigger as he stared at the exact spot where his sister had been only moments ago. Shocked and paralysed, he let the others drag him back to their dormitory.

* * *

_Oh no did I get too close_

_Oh did I almost see_

_What's really on the inside_

* * *

**A/N:**

**I hope Tris isn't too OOC for your taste... But as we all know, she's a terrible liar; especially in the films. Although I think I did ruin Jeanine for all of us...**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:**

**Gosh, guys, I'm so sorry that this took so long. And I want to apologize before hand that this chapter sucks. Also, this might be the last chapter for this year. There might be another one after Christmas, but I'm not entirely sure my bitchy life would allow that to happen (pardon the language).**

**Credits to Your Fellow Conspirator &amp; KarolMarques.**

* * *

How she made her way back to their dormitory, she had no idea. But one thing was for sure, when she stepped into the room, all heads were facing down in an extremely unnatural state, which means her brother and friends was hiding something from her, just as she was hiding something from them.

"So, Tris," Ray piped up from his corner of the room, huge grin plastered on his face as always, "Anything interesting happened?" he said, which only gained him a glare from Caleb, a facepalm from Emily, and eye-rolls from the twins.

Tris raised one of her eyebrows high, fixing an expression of innocence as she removed her shoes, she answered, "Not much. Unless you want to go into the fact that my friends were spying on me?"

"_You know?_" the boy said with his green eyes wide and round.

"Of course I know. You guys weren't exactly quiet," she said, putting her shoes aside and sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"This makes everything much easier, then," Caleb muttered, massaging his temples as he looked up and stared straight into his sister's eyes, "Care to explain to us what you were doing with Ms Matthews?"

"Nothing happened," she said quietly, turning away.

Caleb sighed heavily. It wasn't that he didn't believe her – he _did_. Nothing happened, even if it almost did. "Fine. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Caleb," Tris snapped all of a sudden in an irritated tone, "_Nothing happened_."

All he did was stare blankly at her as she finished her sentence and covered herself up to her head with her blanket. Then he turned to look at the others, who shrugged at him and went to bed themselves. After switching off the lights, Caleb lied in his bed, staring into the darkness of the ceiling as rhythmic breathing filled his ears. At some point between fruitless wondering and futile thoughts about the future, he fell into his dreams.

* * *

When he woke it was not because of the morning sun seeping through the windows or the groans and yawns of his group of friends, but the sudden sharpness of the air around them. He couldn't quite place his finger on what was wrong, but the air in the room seemed… fresher, and Caleb was positive that something was wrong.

Sitting up in his bed, he leaned over to where his sister lied and whispered her name in an attempt to wake her. After calling out for the third time, he finally gave up and went over to shake her shoulder lightly. She stirred, turned, and woke in a matter of seconds.

"What?"

"The air… Doesn't it smell different to you?" he whispered urgently, his hand still on her shoulder.

Tris sniffed the air as she sat up. "Yes… It's refreshing… And it has this sharp – " her eyes widened, "_Pure oxygen_," she gasped silently.

Beside her, Caleb sucked in a deep breath out of shock, which only caused him to regret it seconds later. "We need to get them out," he said to Tris immediately, already on his feet as he rushed to the other side of the room to wake his friends.

Tris followed right after, shaking the twins by their shoulders while Caleb did the same to Ray and Emily, all who yawned and cursed whoever disturbed them from their slumber at such an ungodly hour.

"Get out of the room."

"_Why?_"

"Pure oxygen. High pressure," Tris explained hurriedly between gasp, ushering all of them out of the room and into the hallway before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

"_Murder?_" was the first word Alfred said when he arrived at the dormitory. Well, one would say he _said_, but in all truth he was absolutely seething as he glared at everybody at once. It wasn't that attempted murder never happened – quite the opposite actually. Every year during initiation, some imprudent, idiotic initiate would try to murder another, and the reason would always be because of jealousy. But most of the victims did not die at the hands of murder, though, and the attacker would always end up caught. Whether they ended up factionless or not, that was a whole other matter. Those who came up with a plan good enough to almost-kill, stayed, and those who did not suffered the consequences. It has always been like that with the Erudites… treasuring intelligence.

The initiates were all gathered in the hallway, including the Erudite-borns. _They should know better._

"Oxygen toxicity," muttered a voice he was all too familiar with, causing him to turn to face the blonde, "Old trick." Jeanine's lips were pressed together when she walked up the hallway and towards the spot where Alfred and the initiates were clustered together. She was clearly unimpressed. Steel gray eyes swept pass the group of initiates, all looking straight back at her as if daring her to place the blame on them.

"You know what to do," Jeanine said to the man beside her, who nodded and proceeded to clear the room of pure oxygen. "Initiates, gather in the hall please."

* * *

Jeanine led the group of sixteen-year-olds to a hall, which was, as always, the same as any other room in the Erudite compound – white, spacious, windows occupying most parts of the walls. Vials and vials of truth serum were prepared by one of the night shift workers, who, as soon as the initiates were lined up, began to inject them with said serum to find out the culprit was.

"Did you release pure oxygen into your dormitory, Tris?" Jeanine asked the girl whom she had just injected truth serum with, half laughing inside as she wondered what on earth was she doing. Of course it wouldn't be Tris. Why would she want to kill herself?

"No."

Jeanine sighed quietly. It was four in the morning and she did not enjoy investigating a crime scene that was plotted to kill her crush. The caffiene was slightly blurring her head now, and so was her feelings. They were all going to her mind, and before she was aware of what she was saying, the words had already left her lips: "You love me. Real or not real?"

"Real."

* * *

_I wanna hide the truth_

_I wanna shelter you_

_But with the beast inside_

_There's nowhere we can hide_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Thanks for reading, and happy holidays :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**

**Oh gosh, I'm so sorry it has been so long, guys. I've been stuck with a huge project lately (no, it isn't finished yet). Also school has restarted so I'm not sure if I can update regularly, but I shall try my best!**

* * *

"Tris, she tried to _murder_ you," Caleb seethed, eyes fueled with anger and frustration as they glared straight at his sister.

"I know that," said Tris rather calmly for someone who almost died as she looked away from Caleb's glare.

"Well, you certainly don't look the part."

"Caleb, listen, I know it's hard to believe that Mina did it, but there's no point in staying crossed at her. She's factionless now; courtesy of Ms Matthews," she countered, whispering that last part silently as her eyes softened a degree.

His jaws clenched.

"Fine," he answered quietly as he turned around to leave. Caleb was absolutely dejected and heartbroken that his girlfriend attempted murder on his own sister, and Tris honestly did understand why he felt that way, _she_ would too if Jeanine tried to end Caleb's life.

Speaking of that woman, Tris could have sworn that the looks Jeanine gave her previously when they met weren't the usual ones she received. If she didn't know better, Tris would have taken it as doubt in those eyes.

* * *

Most of the Erudites were gathered in one place – the great hall, on the morning of the job choosing day. The sky was drizzling drops of mediocrity - it was one of those days where nothing was deemed worth getting fired up for - and even in the face of a life-changing event, the initiates hardly seemed excited enough to start conversation with one another.

Tris and Caleb walked along side each other quietly, wordlessly, leading the rest of their group to one side of the hall where they were required to choose a job to begin their life as an official faction member. As she made her way through the crowd of people in the same shade of blue as her clothes, she felt gazes on her, making her shoulders feel heavy. She did not like attention. Her IQ score had already gained her unwanted notices. She would rather the world leave her alone even if she almost fell into the hands of death.

A list of jobs was shown on a digital board that was much bigger than Tris was – at least twice her height and three times her width. Alfred sat behind a long table filled with papers and application forms, green eyes staring into oblivion as he awaited the initiates' arrival.

In an instant, he snapped back into reality and greeted Tris and the others with a quick tug of the corners of his lips. "Ms Prior," he croaked in a tone that suggested he barely got any rest from earlier happenings, "It would be a privilege to be able to work alongside you."

She simply nodded, accepting the papers from his hands. It turned out that those were application forms, and she quickly became aware that even though it has already been confirmed that the job of being the faction leader's personal assistant belonged to her, paperwork was still in order.

Seating herself on the opposite side of the table, Tris picked up one of the pens lying about and proceeded to fill up the sheets with her personal information while her brother and friends selected their jobs.

It took her less than a few minutes to complete the application form, and as she signed her name at the bottom of the page, she wondered if any of the others were fully aware that they were filling up a form to the rest of their who-knows-how-long lives. After she handed the papers back to Alfred, he informed her that her apartment was on the third floor of the main building, and that due to her newly gained status, she lived without a roommate.

Tris was partly glad that she didn't need to share her living space with another soul. She didn't need _that_ much people to be close to in her life; she was used to isolating herself and keeping everybody at a safe distance.

She waited a while more as Caleb and the others finished up their forms and received their room numbers and floors. As far as she knew, they were all in another building, completely different from hers, but still close enough to visit occasionally.

On their way to the elevators, Tris learned that Caleb was roomed with Ray, Sophie and Emily were stuck together, Joshua and August were both paired with each other. They were all glad that their roommates were someone they actually _knew_, and Tris was happy for them, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment because they would all be living together, in the same building, on the same floor, while she would be some distance away every night when they slept.

She sighed quietly before giving all of them a small smile as she left them at the elevators, then she turned out of the building and headed to her apartment.

* * *

The door was pure white that seemed to glow. A finger scanner was fixed into the wall on the right hand side of the door, and when she lifted her thumb to the scanner, the door slid open sideways. Everything in the room was either white or a light shade of blue, all except the floor, which was a pale shade of lavender.

Upon entering, one would see a twin-sized bed placed at the wall opposite the door. Its covers were all white and the pillows and blankets were neatly folded and placed at one side of the bed.

On her left was a cube bookcase built into the wall. It took up the whole height of the wall, and the bottom half of the bookcase was already filled in with books. Grudgingly, she slid the door shut behind her and turned into the small aisle on her right, which led to a bathroom near the end and a closet facing it. Beside the closet was a rectangular table with round edges and a chair with wheels tucked under it.

Tris walked back to the bed – _her_ bed – and, after removing her shoes and leaving them under her bed, proceeded to flop down on it. Her eyes felt heavy, and her whole body was feeling exhausted even though she barely did anything that day. Before long, her eyes closed and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next time she opened her eyes was due to a series of knocking and chattering outside her door. Propping herself up on one arm, she rubbed her eyes and muttered a tired "Who is it?" before realizing that it was an idiotic question to ask. Who _else _would be knocking at her door at six in the evening?

"Um, us," said a voice which sounded like Ray.

"Right," Tris responded after clearing her throat, "Let me get my shoes."

Putting on her shoes, she gave herself a quick glance through the mirror above the desk – a habit which she had never practiced until recently – and combed her hair simply with her fingers. She slid the door open, revealing her group of friends whom all craned their neck around her to have a peek at her new living quarters.

A smile formed on her lips as she fought to contain her laughter. She leaned to one side, allowing them to have a good view of her apartment before rushing them to the canteen block for dinner.

At the dinner table, Tris felt happiness bubbling inside of her. Knowing that within three weeks, she had made more friends than she ever did in her entire life, it filled her heart with joy. But that also means that the risk of having her heart broken increased at an alarming amount. She was usually against being too emotionally attached to someone, but the sight of her brother and friends laughing and teasing each other was starting to change something within her.

This was not going to last long, she knew that, and her assumption was further confirmed as she looked up from her dish and glanced at the blonde who _happened_ to pass by the corner of the canteen block, eyebrows raised and gray eyes piercing through the air as they locked with her own pair.

* * *

_When you feel my heat_

_Look into my eyes_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Thank you for reading, you nice souls! :)**


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